Hardwood flooring is a great favorite in the United States, and since the early pioneering days, when wood floors were often the only option, many homes have featured this beautiful style of flooring. Depending on the quality of the wood and the type of maintenance, these floors can last for hundreds of years and with time can acquire a mellow beauty that looks spectacular in a parlor or in a work room. While many people are very familiar with the types and hardness and color of different styles of wood flooring, one consideration often gets overlooked – the width of the planks.
Most old fashioned farm houses used wide plank wood flooring, for a good reason. It was often easier to mill, and thus less expensive to buy. These wider floors used today often look great in a more casual setting, and bring to mind the rustic beauty of a farmhouse, while the narrow planks tend to create a bit of a formal setting by contrast. Wider plank flooring can be simpler to purchase, however, and it can be less expensive to have it installed, due to the fact that it actually takes less work to install a wide plank floor. The downside to wide planks is that they do not have a close and well fitted abutment, but the cracks will typically expand and widen over time.
Narrow planking floors simply do not offer that old fashioned look, but they have several advantages over wide planks. The narrow planks, while costing more to install and affording more work for installation, tend to stay in place much better and will not contract and expand as much. This leads to regular seams and less debris that can get caught in wide cracks. Narrow planks have a formal air that can really add flair to a room badly in need of some class, and you can often get portions replaced more easily when they need replaced.
While these are some interesting facts to consider to help you determine the width of the plank you would like, remember that Los Angeles flooring stores are excellent in laying down wood floors, and may be able to help you avoid some of the issues – such as cupping- with the wider planks just based on the better installation. Don’t rule out the type of planking you want based on potential issues but instead get good flooring and a better team of installation professionals.