Wide plank wood flooring is the term used to describe flooring that is greater than the standard 120 to 150mm plank width. Available in solid as well as engineered wood floor options, wide plank wood flooring is a stylish and highly sought after flooring option, particularly for modern interiors. When you’re making your flooring decisions, it’s a good idea to consider whether solid or engineered wood flooring would best suit your project. As a general rule of thumb, wherever the is likely to be significant moisture or temperature fluctuations or if you’re fitting the floor over under floor heating, you’re best to opt for engineered wood flooring.
Today, flooring planks come in various shapes and sizes as well as in solid and engineered wood options, which means you can pretty much get your hands on whatever you want (depending of course on your budget!). When we look back in history at the trends and styles of wood flooring, we’ve seen everything from extremely narrow, 2.25” (just over 5.7cm) boards, and in some cases even narrower, to almost two feet wide planks. With this range of plank widths being in and out of fashion at various times in the past, it comes as no surprise that narrow and wide planks to this day, go in and out of fashion like most other things.
Today, the majority of standard wood flooring planks are between 5 and 6 inches or 120mm to 150mm wide, like this Rustic Solid Oak flooring. That said, in some of the more exotic woods, you’ll find that affordable planks may often be narrower like this Prime Solid Black Walnut Flooring. This is because of the way flooring planks are cut from the trunk of the tree.
When solid wood planks are made, they are cut, not surprisingly from the centre of the tree trunk, which means that, in order to achieve wider boards you need to source bigger trees. At the risk of oversimplifying things, bigger trees take longer to grow and as a result, command a much higher price. Because of this method of production, it makes sense that more narrow planks can be “harvested” from a standard tree trunk than wide boards. This is what makes wide boards more expensive. Add to this the fact that wide boards tend to be longer than standard boards and you start to see where the exclusivity, and the corresponding price tag of wide boards comes in.
Wide floorboards surprisingly can help make small rooms look bigger as well as giving a less formal look to your interior. While your budget may not stretch to introducing wide wood flooring boards throughout your home, there is nothing to say you can’t mix wider and narrower planks to create a stylish effect. That said, engineered wood flooring, because of the way it’s constructed offers a wide board solution that won’t break the bank. 190mm engineered wood flooring is a nice wide board option, which allows you to create the look you’re seeking at a fraction of the price of solid wood. The likes of our 190mm Select Engineered Oak Flooring or our Natural Engineered Oak Flooring, which is also a 190mm plank will allow you to achieve a truly desirable wide plank look, without blowing your budget.