Home Flooring Guide

When you are looking into installing hardwood floors in your home, you are in for a pleasant surprise in the wide variety of types of hardwood flooring that are in the market.  Many home owners like to focus on wide plank hardwood flooring because it most closely fits their vision for a great hardwood floor installation on their home.  But even within that category, there are some various types of wide plank flooring to choose from.

The many faces of wide plank flooring

Wide plank flooring captures that look of a rustic and elegant hardwood floor that is the real appeal of all hardwood floor installations.  The variety of types of woods, styles, tints and designs that the many wide plank flooring manufacturers have to offer means that you will have plenty to chose from when you begin to look at this niche in the hardwood flooring panorama of products.  

When you hit the stores to look at wide plank flooring in person, be mindful that you are looking at very real wood so there will be variations in the grain, the swirl and there may even be small flaws in the look of the wood.  Those quirks are as much proof that this is a genuine wood floor, not something manufactured to resemble wood.  Nature leaves flaws and in a way, that is the charm of real hardwood floors.

Antique wide plank flooring

One of the more expensive options in wide plank flooring is the antique style flooring.  This type of hardwood floor genuinely captures the feel of an old New England estate or inn.  To capture that antique look takes some skill on the part of the manufacturer and it calls for some very specific varieties of wood to be used as the main component of the flooring.  The antique American chestnut is the most common wood used to create this style of wide plank flooring.  The antique white pine also does well as part of this brand of flooring.  Both of these woods are somewhat rare which is another reason wide antique wide plank flooring is so expensive.

Domestic flooring

The domestic style wide plank flooring is far more practical but still very attractive which accounts for its popularity.  Because the woods use to make domestic wide plank flooring are more accessible, this style of wide plank hardwood flooring is more affordable.  You often see domestic wide plank flooring used in bowling alleys or in gyms to create beautiful but still rugged basketball courts.  The types of wood used for domestic wide plank flooring include hard maple, cherry and walnut.

Exotic wide plank flooring

Exotic wide plank flooring is so named not for the ways that it is used as much as the types of  woods that are employed to make the flooring.  The woods that often are used for exotic wide plank hardwood floors include Santos Mahogany, Brazilian Oak or Peruvian walnut.  These woods are chosen not for their exotic points of origin but because exotic wide plank flooring is amazingly hard and durable.  It is a great option for a floor that will see a lot of use.

All of these styles will provide superior service in the home or business setting.  They are gorgeous and create a relaxed and natural feel to the room.  And they are well made so when you decide to install a wide plank flooring style in your home, it will continue to keep your home beautiful and elegant for many years.