FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

I’m Neil Street, an internet marketing consultant for small and local businesses. I’ve worked for several years with Kellogg Hardwood Lumber, a custom manufacturer of wide plank flooring. Working with Kellogg has given me a real appreciation of the beauty and versatility of traditional hardwood flooring – so much so that I’m going to be living through a major upheaveal to install rustic white oak flooring in all the bedrooms of my house! I wanted to share with readers some tips on how to choose the best type of wood for your own flooring projects.

Today more than ever, hardwood flooring is a popular choice for homeowners. And many homeowners are moving beyond the standard, narrow-width flooring to embrace the beautiful styles of antique, or traditional wood flooring. Antique-looking wood floors — exemplified by styles such as wide plank flooring, distressed floors, even reclaimed wood floors — are appearing in homes across the country.

If you are planning on installing an antique-looking, or wide plank floor, where do you begin? What species of wood should you use? The choices, with so many wood types on the market, may seem overwhelming. But with a little planning upfront, the process can be transformed into an enjoyable learning experience about this remarkable, and natural, product. Here are some guidelines to help you pick the right kind of wood for your project.

Keep it firmly in mind that there are no set rules. It’s going to be your floor, and you are going to be living on it, so the most important thing is that you be happy with your choice. With that in mind, consider the common ways that different woods have been used in the past. Over time, it has been common to use certain types of wood in certain architectural settings. For example, wide plank white pine is usually thought of as a “country” look. It was the wood most widely available to our ancestors. Most of the homes of yesteryear, by necessity, were somewhat rustic, and the style, like country design in general, has remained popular. On the other hand, classic white oak, also a perfect choice for wide plank flooring, is often associated with elegant and formal wood floors.

One way to classify different hardwoods is by looking at which wood is most often associated with a particular home style. But remember, these are just guidelines. Wood is a very flexible material, and the same wood can often work in a variety of settings. Also, most of the woods mentioned here can be ordered in different grades, adding to its flexibility. Select grade is the smoothest, often resulting in an elegant look. Country, and rustic grades are more rough-finished, and can also be delibarately distressed in milling, by processes such as quarter-sawing and skip planing, giving a real antique or country look to the floor.

Country style wood flooring

- Heart Pine. The classic heart pine wood floor looks as good in a country setting as it does in a traditional one. For a country, or rustic wood floor, wide plank heart pine is a perfect choice, with its flame-like grain and color like a pumpkin.

- Eastern White Pine. The smooth-grained, knotty, eastern white pine creates a wood floor that will look right at home in a country style house. It has been the wood of choice in American country homes for generations.

- Character Grade White Oak. For a more rustic looking wood floor, the flecked pattern of character grade white oak, very suitable for quarter-sawn flooring, is an excellent choice.

- Red Oak. Coarse-grained, quarter-sawn, wide plank red oak flooring creates a timeless country look that will enhance any country style home.

Traditional style wood flooring

Warm, elegant floors are often found in traditional American homes, such as Colonial and Georgian style houses. Suggested woods for a traditional architecture include:

- Eastern White Pine. It is a fine, smooth-grained, knotty wood, with a very soft texture. It is very authentic for older homes, creating a warm, classic tone.

- Cherry. A subtle, tight grain, medium hardness, and a deep red color are the hallmarks of cherry flooring. The red color of cherry continues to deepen over the years, resulting in a warmth of tone that is almost unmatched. A cherry wood floor works well in formal or country settings.

- White Oak. A tight-grained, dense, hard wood. A white oak wood floor is seen in many classic American homes. The select grade gives a more traditional look, while country grade white oak, more knotty in appearance, can be used to create a more rustic looking wood floor.

- Heart Pine. One of the best-loved of all American woods. A heart pine wood floor is another time-tested American look. It is a very hard wood, with a dramatic, flame-like grain, and an orange pumpkin color. It works beautifully in a country or a traditional setting.

Contemporary style wood flooring

- Hard Maple. This durable wood has a tight, close grain, and is one of the hardest woods available. Hard maple flooring has a clear, light look, and is perfect for light, contemporary rooms with plenty of windows. You will see hard maple used in settings that require an extremely hard-wearing surface, such as a gymnasium.

- Birch. Another hard-wearing, dense wood, birch has a tight grain, and a subtle, sometimes swirling pattern. Birch is the perfect wood for a modern, light floor.

- Hickory. A very hard, tight grain, usually with some knots, and sometimes the grain can be dramatic. A hickory floor can work just as well in a country setting as in a modern one.

- Walnut. A popular choice, walnut is medium-hard, with marbleized coloring, and well-suited to natural finishes. Walnut flooring is a very versatile wood, suitable for many architectural styles.

Wood Floors for Every Style of Home

Home styles and architecture are not limited to a few classic looks. There is an infinite variety of decors, and wood floors complement them all. From a heart pine wood floor in a French country farmhouse, to eastern white pine flooring in a log home, to a rich, red, Santos mahogany floor in a classic, nineteenth-century style library, the choices are almost limitless. Do some research on the internet, perhaps look at some image galleries of hardwood flooring, and let your imagination take wing. Then go out to some showrooms and see, and most importantly, touch, the wood. Genuine hardwood is a material you’re almost bound to fall in love with. And when you find the right wood for your project, you will simply know it.