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You have questions, we have answers. Explore the most frequently asked questions about hardwood flooring below. Need assistance or want to know more? Contact Carlisle or call 800-595-9663 today to get all your inquiries answered.
Wide plank floors are more expensive than standard commercial flooring, since there are fewer trees that can produce floorboards up to 20” wide and 16’ long. Additionally, creating wider and longer planks requires more labor, adding to the cost of wide plank hardwood flooring.
Wide plank floors are made with floorboards that are much wider and longer than standard commercial flooring. The floorboards in typical commercial wood flooring are usually 2 ¼” to 3” wide and roughly 4’ long. Wide plank floorboards are 5” to 20” wide and 12’ to 16’ long. The use of wide plank floors in the U.S. dates back to the early New England settlers who found that long, wide planks from the heart of big, old-growth trees had a denser grain pattern and less moisture, making them less likely to splinter or warp.
Explore and select from our gallery of our most popular finishes, specially categorized by the personalities and traits of the floor designs.
ExploreWider plank floors are a visually beautiful surface that can serve as a central design element within a home or business. Wider planks also make it easier to appreciate the beauty and personality of the wood. Wider planks also dramatically reduce the number of seams in a floor by as much as 75%. Eliminating the visual distraction of seams will make a space seem larger and easily carry the scale of design in homes with cathedral ceilings or expansive spaces.
Using wider, longer floorboards creates far fewer seams and a less “busy” look than a traditional floor. This gives a wide plank floor a feeling of elegant spaciousness and makes a room seem larger.
Wide plank floors can be made from a wide array of hardwoods and Pine timbers. Species commonly used in wide plank floors include Ash, Birch, Cherry, Hickory, Maple, Walnut, and Red and White Oak. Wide plank floors may also be made from reclaimed timbers salvaged from old houses, barns and factories slated for demolition.
Yes. A prefinished wide plank floor is made from floorboards that are cut, sanded, stained and sealed within the ideal conditions of a manufacturer’s facility. By finishing the floor under factory-controlled conditions, manufacturers can apply stronger sealants that offer more protection for the floorboards. Prefinished floors can be installed quickly after arriving at a job site. Choosing prefinished floors enables homeowners to skip the mess, inconvenience and odor typically associated with finishing a floor on-site.
Yes. Engineered wood flooring is made with planks that feature a multi-ply construction to form a core that is less susceptible to expanding, contracting, cracking or warping when exposed to large changes in relative humidity. Engineered hardwood flooring uses a top layer of hardwood that’s glued to multiple layers of backing material like fiberboard, plywood or Baltic birch, with the grain in each layer running in a different direction. This construction allows engineered floorboards to perform better in locations below grade, over radiant heating systems, on concrete slabs and in other locations with higher levels of relative humidity. Engineered floors should not be used in areas where the relative humidity goes below 30%.
Caring for and maintaining wide plank floors is as easy as caring for any solid wood flooring. Sweeping and dusting regularly will remove the dust and debris that can cause scratches on the floor. To remove stubborn dirt and grime, simply mop the floor with a weak vinegar solution (1 to 2 ounces of vinegar per 2 gallons of water).
Yes. Distressing or texturing gives a new hardwood floor the appearance of an antique floor that has been lived on and walked on for decades. Craftsmen use a variety of techniques to distress a wide plank floor. Adding hand-scraped edges recreates the appearance of a floorboard that were once smoothed by hand. Craftsmen may also use wire brushes to gently wear away the softer grains in a floorboard to create a surface that appears to have been aged by traffic and time.
Carlisle represents the very best in wide plank hardwood flooring. We offer hardwood and Pine floors in a large range of wood species, widths, textures, structure, colors and wood grades. Our forest-to-floor ethic ensures sustainability and helps us preserve natural resources while producing remarkable floors that will enhance any home for years to come. Our expert consultants are ready to help customers through all the choices involved in designing a wide plank floor that will become the centerpiece of their home.
