Wood Flooring Widths
When you’re selecting flooring, one often-overlooked element is the plank width. Once you’ve selected the hardwood and the finish, the width of your flooring will be the final puzzle piece in creating a gorgeous floor.
At Cochran’s, we offer every size of a plank. In this post, we’ll take a look at the most common plank sizes to help you choose the one that’s perfect for your design.
Narrow Strips
The classic width for wood floors is the two- to three-inch strip. Seen in homes built a century ago as often as they are seen today, strips create a look of clean, uncluttered elegance.
- Narrow strips create an upscale look that will never go out of style.
- Narrow planks are perfect for small rooms, where wide planks might be overwhelming.
- Glossy narrow planks with a uniform color are ideally suited for modern or contemporary designs.
Medium-Sized Planks
Flooring planks in widths of three to five inches offer an attractive option that will add variety to your flooring design and work in any size of room.
- Wide planks bring warmth and coziness to large rooms and open floor spaces.
- Balanced by their long length, these planks are especially suited to more rustic-looking designs.
- Wide planks allow the richness of wood flooring to take center stage in a larger space.
Wide Plank Flooring
A new trend in flooring, planks of eight inches or even more are showing in many modern decorating schemes. When paired with a weathered finish on the wood, they create a timeworn, rustic look.
- Wide planks convey a sense of luxury and richness, and today many wood manufacturers consider five to seven inches their standard size.
- This size is popular among homebuyers and is often seen in historic renovations.
- Although you’ll have fewer seams in a wide-plank floor, those seams will also be more visible if the wood does buckle or shift.
Random or Mixed Widths
For the most up-to-the-minute designer look, choose random widths for your flooring layout design. A mix of widths goes well with any decorating style from country to contemporary.
- Random widths create a more natural, rustic look that mimics the random sizes of hand-sawn planks.
- Vary the width depending on the size of the rooms.
- Mixing the sizes will give a fresh edge to classic, elegant flooring styles.
- Consult one of our design experts to create an overall look that perfectly captures the style you’re aiming for.
We have added a random width calculator to help determine both the linear feet and square footage of flooring you will require.
Consider This
In selecting your floor width, consider your home’s overall design scheme and how you plan to furnish and decorate each room.
- Narrow strips are classic and timeless, but wider planks are fashionable and sought-after.
- Distressed wood finishes are a good match for wider planks.
- Consider the grain of your wood choice, and whether narrow or wide planks will best show its character and tones.
We’re the Wood Experts
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the options available for your wood floors, remember that Cochran’s is the wood flooring expert. We offer:
- a wide variety of beautiful, character-filled American hardwoods;
- an extensive selection of stains and finishes, including oil-based finishes;
- design consultants who will help you make your design dreams come true;
- pre-finished flooring that ranges from smooth and elegant to weathered and worn;
- our install-anywhere TrueWood engineered flooring.
The Right Choice
The woods we use at Cochran’s are all sustainably harvested and grown by responsible tree farmers. We use only the finest American hardwoods and we mill each piece to perfection using time-honored craftsmanship. To all that, we add a modern sensibility that’s fully aware of what modern consumers want in their homes.
We want your floors to be a source of joy from the day they’re installed and for many years to come. Call Cochran’s today and let us help you select, design and install a wood floor of lasting beauty.
Cochran’s Lumber is proud to be the leading provider of spectacular floors for homes, offices, and retail spaces across America! Our newly redesigned showroom was thoughtfully designed to make the selection of flooring and finishes exciting and simple. We feature a variety of new and reclaimed flooring products and many new and unique finishes.
We are proud to offer an inviting space where customers can come and get a clear vision of the many types of hardwood flooring options that we offer, and feel comfortable at the same time.
Visit our showroom today in historic Berryville, VA (only 50 miles west of Washington D.C) or give us a call at 1(877) 297-8331.
