What to Know Before Committing to Wide-Plank Floors

Hey folks! This is Tim from A Team Hardwoods LLC.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"What to Know Before Committing to Wide-Plank Floors"

Summary:

Tim advises that homeowners considering wide-plank floors first think about the size of their home, because the wider the plank, the smaller the rooms will feel, which can be an issue in smaller homes. Choosing a good-quality wide-plank product is also essential; he relies on four trusted distributors that carry quality engineered hardwood. For wide plank specifically, he recommends engineered over solid, because engineered is structurally designed to expand and contract less, making it the best bet for that look. Installation method matters too: with wide plank, he advises a glue assist no matter what, even on engineered, using a proper glue like Bona, then squiggly-lining the back and nailing it for the safest result. In some cases with solid unfinished flooring, the team does full-trowel glue and nail. He notes that hardwood flooring standards call for anything five inches and above to be full-trowel glued and nailed regardless.

Answer:

First, the size of the home. Wide plank is very popular right now, but if you have a smaller home, the wider the plank you go, the smaller your rooms are going to feel. Also, picking a good quality wide-plank floor. I have four distributors I like to use that carry good quality engineered hardwood, and that's another thing I'd suggest. If you're going wide plank, engineered is going to be your best bet, because it's structurally designed for expanding and contracting less. And then how you have it installed: with wide plank you want a glue assist no matter what, even engineered. A glue assist would be using a proper glue like Bona, then you squiggly-line the back of it and nail it. In some cases when we use solid unfinished flooring, we do full-trowel glue and nail. Hardwood flooring standards are that anything five inches and above should be full-trowel glued and nailed, no matter what.