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Kellogg Wide Plank Flooring
Origin of Wide Plank Flooring
Wide plank flooring dates back to colonial times in the United States. The earliest settlers used oak, a familiar species for English settlers. They cut
full-width boards from old-growth trees and sawed them into random lengths. Soon, however, the colonists discovered a much easier wood to work with - pine. They
used both southern yellow pine and eastern white pine, prized for its durability and lightness, and much easier to work than the hard oak. Oak continued as the
common flooring for kitchens.
Popularity of Wide Plank Flooring
Today, the tradition of wide plank flooring, first established by America's early settlers, is enjoying a resurgence as never before. Homeowners, seeking the
warm, rich feeling of an earlier era, are embracing wide plank flooring in a broad range of woods, including hardwood and softwood.
How To Choose Plank Flooring
A number of considerations come into play when you are thinking of installing a wide plank floor. First and foremost, you must make sure that you will be able
to install the floor in the room or location of your choice. It is not recommended, for example, that you place a hardwood floor in a concrete slab basement
area. The humidity and dampness will cause serious problems in contact with wood. Ideally, you will be installing your hardwood floor over a plywood sub-floor.
It can be installed over an engineered wood sub-floor, but extra care must be taken in fastening the hardwood down.
The Look You Want
Once you are sure your sub-floor is adequate, it's time for the fun to start! What kind of look do you want? For a more formal look, you may want to use cherry
or oak. For a rustic look, you can consider such woods as heart pine, antique chestnut, or eastern white pine. If your house is contemporary, then maple,
hickory, or birch may be the wood to go with. The choices are almost endless, and once you start shopping around, you will quickly become familiar with the
appearance and properties of different woods. Although the basic hue, or color of wood depends on the species, you can stain many woods in a wide range of
tones, to match your surroundings.
The Durability You Need
It's also important to consider the foot traffic that the floor will have to take. The wood you choose for a kitchen, for example, should be more durable and
water repellant that the wood you choose for a living room. And as a general rule, wood floors are not the best choice for a bathroom. The main factor to
consider for durability is the "hardness" of the wood. Obviously, the harder the wood, the more punishment it can take. Birch, for example, is extremely hard,
and would be a great choice for a contemporary art gallery. American cherry is of medium hardness, and is perfect for living rooms and dining rooms in many
homes. Eastern pine is a softer wood, but it gives an air of authenticity to restored homes. Again, as you begin to explore the options, you will learn the
different qualities of wood, and discover what will work best for your project.
Finished or Unfinished Flooring
Until fairly recently, hardwood flooring always came unfinished, and it was finished, sanded, and stained on the job site. This meant the homeowner had to
endure a lot of noise, dust, and smells, and a delay in using the floor. Today, a lot of hardwood flooring is pre-finished at the factory, and comes ready to
install. The major downside to prefinished flooring is that even with the best installer you may get tiny gaps in places where the boards join. It is almost
impossible to match the smooth finish of a floor that is sanded on site. In the end, it depends on your own circumstances whether you choose finished or
unfinished boards. The pre-finished floors are improving all the time, and are a real breakthrough for people who simply could not tolerate the dust problems
from unfinished installations.
Whatever your choice of woods, you will enjoy many years of service and pleasure that only a hardwood floor can bring.
© 2007 Kellogg Hardwood Lumber Note: This article was submitted by a second party and the contents are subject to
our disclaimer.
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