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Wide Plank Flooring: What to Know Before You Buy
Wide plank floors make a room feel calm and expansive, but wider boards move more. Here is what to know about widths, lengths, construction and lead times.
Quick answers
What width is considered wide plank flooring?
Most of the trade treats boards wider than about 5 to 6 inches as wide plank. Widths of 7, 8, 10 inches and more are common in high-end projects.
Is wide plank flooring better as solid or engineered?
Wider boards move more with humidity. For very wide planks, over concrete or over radiant heat, engineered construction is usually the safer choice. Solid wide planks need careful moisture control and the right installation method.
Do wide plank floors cup?
They can if moisture is not controlled. Back-channeled boards, proper acclimation, subfloor moisture testing and steady indoor humidity all reduce the risk.
How long does it take to get custom wide plank flooring?
For our custom-milled flooring, expect about 2 to 3 weeks for most orders and 4 to 6 weeks for specialty orders. Wide and long boards typically take longer.
The short answer
Wide plank flooring means fewer seams and a calmer, more expansive look. The tradeoff is that a wider board moves more as humidity changes. Choose the right construction for your subfloor, control moisture, and give yourself enough lead time, and a wide plank floor will perform for generations.
Width and length work together
A wide board looks best when it is also long. Short wide boards create a busy floor with lots of end joints. When you compare quotes, ask about the length range and average length, not just the width. Our 4 inch rift and quartered white oak, for example, is bundled in lengths from 4 to 10 feet; lengths within a nested bundle vary and are not guaranteed.
Solid or engineered?
Solid wide planks are beautiful, but they are the most sensitive to moisture. Engineered wide planks hold their shape better over concrete slabs, in basements and over radiant heat. Our full comparison of engineered vs. solid hardwood explains when each makes sense in New Jersey and New York homes.
What protects a wide plank floor
Back-channeled boards. Grooves milled into the back of each board relieve stress and help the board lie flat. Our custom-milled planks are back-channeled.
Correct moisture content at the mill. For our custom-milled planks it is held between 6.5 and 8.5 percent, and not more than 9 percent in any single board.
Subfloor moisture testing before installation.
Acclimation and an installation method suited to the width, which may include glue assist for wider boards.
Steady indoor humidity all year. See how to prevent water damage.
Grade and cut change the look
Select and Better grade gives a clean, consistent look with few knots. Character grades show more knots and color variation. Rift and quartered white oak has a straight, linear grain that suits modern interiors; plainsawn shows the cathedral grain many people picture when they think of oak. Compare species in white oak vs. red oak vs. walnut.
Plan your timeline
Custom-milled boards take time. For our custom flooring, plan on 2 to 3 weeks for most orders and 4 to 6 weeks for specialty orders, and longer for boards wider than 6 inches or extra-long lengths. Order early so the wood can be delivered and acclimated before installation day.
Before you order, use our guide to how much flooring to order so you do not run short.
Talk to a wood flooring specialist
Not sure which option fits your project? Call 908-232-6600 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern), visit our showroom at 406B West Broad Street in Westfield, New Jersey, or book a virtual consultation. We work with homeowners, architects and designers across New Jersey, New York City and the East Coast, and serve clients nationwide.
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About the author
Joe Avila has 26 years in the wood flooring trade. He is an NWFA-certified wood flooring inspector, installer and sander, and for more than a decade he has taught accredited continuing-education programs for AIA, ASID and IDCEC audiences, training thousands of architects and design professionals in how to specify wood flooring correctly.
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