If you’re searching around for a wood flooring solution right now, it’s highly likely that you’re asking yourself the question “what’s the difference between 1 strip vs 3 strip wood flooring?” And you’re quite right to ask this question. In this article, we’ll explain both and give you our recommendation on which we think works best and why.
1 strip wood flooring
One strip wood flooring, as the name suggests is wood flooring that comes in the style of one strip of wood. In other words, it has one, single strip of solid wood that goes from one side to the other. On each floorboard you have no joins mid-board, all you have is the edges of the board.
3 strip wood flooring
Three strip wood flooring, on the other hand is floorboards that are made to look as if they have three floorboards in one. They may be as wide as 45 or 60 cm, or even wider and will have a solid wood top layer, but that solid wood will either have been made to look as if it three separate pieces of hardwood or it may indeed be 3 separate pieces.
The science bit
Wood is a natural product and as such expands and contracts when it comes into contact with changing moisture levels or rising or falling temperatures. This is completely normal and when you fit a wooden floor you need to leave space around the borders of your room for that expansion and contraction.
When wood flooring expands and contracts it is inevitable that small gaps will appear between boards in time. While slight gaps aren’t an issue, it’s when gaps become big and unsightly that issues may arise, or when wood expands and contracts so much that it cups and bows, creating an uneven surface. In that situation, you could have real issues.
When engineered floorboards are made, they are made by bonding a number of layers of ply together to form a solid core board. It is that core board that gives engineered wood flooring its stability. And it’s that stability which means that it doesn’t expand and contract to nearly the same extent as solid wood and enables it to be laid throughout the home, including in bathrooms and kitchens as well as over under floor heating.
As we mentioned before, when you choose single strip wood flooring you have one solid piece of hardwood as your top layer and the only edges are on the outside of the board itself. When you choose 3 strip wood flooring, you have the edges of the board plus two beveled lines that go the length of each board to create the triple strip look. Alternatively, you may have 3 single strips of hardwood as the top layer that have been fixed on to one solid core board. While this means that you can lay your floor a while lot quicker, it is here that the problems lie.
Why we have a preference
At Wood and Beyond, we love innovation and we love solutions that save our customers time and money, but we find 3 strip wood flooring a real disappointment. Yes, it might mean that you can lay your new floor a whole lot quicker than if you’re laying 2 or 3 times the number of boards, but the big question is: how good will your floor look in 6 months’ time or a year’s time? In our experience, you’ll be left disappointed.
You’ll be left disappointed because your floor will have settled and you’ll have slight gaps between the edges of each board. Granted, you would also have these gaps with single board flooring. However, what you won’t have with single board is an even spread of gaps. With triple strip flooring, you’ll have gaps between the edges of most or each board and of course between the middle strip and the two strips on each side there will be no gap, because there has been no movement. These strips are unable to move because they are fixed on the core board. What this means is that you end up with a weird looking floor that screams out cheap and possibly even laminate-looking.
We think that’s a real shame. Worse than that, most people we’ve come across who have gone this route in order to save a few pounds have ended up spending more money in the long run because they’ve wound up replacing their whole floor.
So what’s our advice if you’re on a budget? Our advice is buy the best quality single strip floor you can afford and lay it with love and care. That way you’ll have a great looking floor for a whole lot longer.
If you’d like help to decide which wood floor would work best for you, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond we’re brimming with ideas that won’t break the bank and we’d be delighted to share them with you.
Comparison Table
| Feature | 1-Strip Wood Flooring | 3-Strip Wood Flooring |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Wood flooring that consists of a single, solid strip of wood that spans from one side of the board to the other, with no joins mid-board. | Wood flooring that looks as if it contains three separate pieces of wood on each board. Each board may be quite wide, and the top layer of solid wood is made to look like three separate pieces, or may indeed be three separate pieces. |
| Installation Speed | May take longer to install due to the number of individual boards. | Can be quicker to install due to fewer boards. |
| Appearance Over Time | Will have slight gaps between boards over time due to natural expansion and contraction of the wood, but will maintain an overall consistent look. | May develop unsightly gaps between the outer edges of each board while the middle strip remains fixed. This can result in an uneven spread of gaps that can give the floor a cheap or laminate-like appearance. |
| Long-Term Value | Potentially better long-term value due to consistent look over time. | May result in lower long-term value due to changes in appearance over time. This could lead to the need for replacement sooner than expected, resulting in higher overall costs. |
| Overall Recommendation | Recommended for its consistent appearance and better long-term value. | Not generally recommended due to the potential for an uneven appearance over time and potential for lower long-term value. |
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FAQ
Question: What is 1 strip wood flooring?
Answer: One strip wood flooring is wood flooring that comes in the style of one strip of solid wood that goes from one side to the other. On each floorboard, there are no joins mid-board, only the edges of the board.
Question: What is 3 strip wood flooring?
Answer: Three strip wood flooring is floorboards made to look as if they have three floorboards in one. The floorboards may be quite wide and will have a solid wood top layer, but that solid wood will either have been made to look as if it has three separate pieces of hardwood or it may indeed be 3 separate pieces.
Question: What can cause gaps to appear between wood floorboards?
Answer: Wood, being a natural product, expands and contracts when it comes into contact with changing moisture levels or rising or falling temperatures. This expansion and contraction can lead to small gaps appearing between floorboards over time.
Question: Why does Wood and Beyond not recommend 3 strip wood flooring?
Answer: Wood and Beyond find 3 strip wood flooring disappointing because although it allows for faster installation, the floors may not look good over time. With triple strip flooring, gaps may appear between the edges of most or each board while the middle strip and the two strips on each side may have no gap. This can create an uneven appearance that could make the floor look cheap or even laminate-like.
Question: What is Wood and Beyond’s advice for someone on a budget for wood flooring?
Answer: Wood and Beyond advise purchasing the best quality single strip floor that one can afford and laying it with care. They suggest that this would result in a better-looking floor for a longer time.