Wood floors are naturally beautiful, but by using a creative approach to plank choice and layout, you can make your floors show your style  as well. And to sweeten the deal further, you can often save money by choosing one of these hardwood floor plank styles over a classic plank design. It’s important to choose a layout you can love and live with for a long time, since hardwood flooring can last for decades.

Alternating Widths

Using wood planks of alternating widths gives a subtle but intriguing pattern to your floors. It’s best to use planks that are fairly close to each other in width, for example an alternating pattern of 3″, 4″ and 5″ planks. If you’d really like to save some money without compromising on your floors, stick with 3″ and 4″ planks – the National Wood Floors Association (NWFA) has ruled that planks 4″ and smaller don’t need to be glued down, thus saving you on installation costs.

Random Widths

Do you prefer an informal style for your wood floors? Consider using random width planks, such as a combination of 3″, 4″ and 6″ planks. With this approach, the narrower planks add stability to the whole floor so you don’t need to glue the planks down – once again saving you some of your hard-earned money. Random width planks give your floors a slightly more rustic look than alternating width planks.

Once you’ve decided which hardwood plank style you prefer, you can customize the pattern further to suit your home’s layout and your own personal preferences. For example, you might choose to lay the planks at a diagonal to the walls instead of parallel to them. A professionally installed and well-cared for wood floor can easily last decades, so why not contact us and choose a design you’ll love for a lifetime?