If you’re going to purchase engineered wooden flooring for your home, office, shop or restaurant, then one of the biggest decisions you will have to make is the width and length of the planks. Xylo Flooring supply quality wooden flooring to developers, interior designers and the retail trade. Here we outline some of the factors at play when you are choosing your plank size.
The Size of the Room
Generally speaking, the smaller the room, the narrower and shorter the plank size you should choose. This is because smaller planks give the impression that a room is larger than it actually is. It also gives the room more variety (in simple terms, because you will need more planks). Equally, with larger rooms, small planks can make the space feel too ‘busy’.
The Type of Room
Open-plan living areas, such as in houses where the living room and the kitchen are merged together into one continuous space, should have longer and wider planks to help emphasize the space. On the contrary, smaller rooms such as children’s bedrooms may benefit from smaller planks.
If you have a formal (or separate) dining room, then a consistent length and width is probably best, regardless of whether it is small or large. At the same time, if you want to emphasize the natural beauty of the wood, such as in a rustic- or farmhouse-style dining room, then wider planks are better as the knots and grains of the wood won’t be interrupted as much.
The Surface Underneath
If you are planning on spanning joists then a floor that has short boards would not be suitable because there would be too many end joints which would weaken the structural capability of the floor. However, if you are laying it onto a solid load-bearing surface such as concrete, plywood, chipboard, etcetera, then this won’t be a problem and the choice between shorter or longer boards is entirely up to you.
Mix and Match
You don’t necessarily have to choose planks all of the same width and length. You can create a unique room by mixing and matching the size, however, this won’t work if you are after a classic, formal style.
Random lengths can also work out cheaper than longer boards in particular because there will be no waste involved with the timber, and the resultant cost savings can be passed all the way down the supply chain.
Practical Considerations
Short planks are easier to handle and can fit into smaller cars or vans, which may be an advantage if you are new to laying floors. However, long planks fill up a room more quickly, which may be better if you are working to a tight deadline. And, although wide planks may be more expensive, you will need fewer of them to fill a room, so it should all balance out.
A Range of Sizes from Xylo Flooring
Ultimately it all comes down to personal taste and what you and your customers will be happy with. At Xylo we have a range of widths and lengths of quality wooden flooring (along with colours and finishes as well) to meet your every need.
With many of our ranges, you have the choice of 150mm and 190mm wide planks.
Some of our options also come in various lengths, such as our Richmond Random Lengths, which include the Rustic Oiled Oak, pictured above.
And if 190mm isn’t wide enough for you, then you can opt for our Islington range which is available in 240mm wide planks, as well as Polar White and Natural Oiled Oak finishes. The Polar White option is pictured above.
You can find more details in our brochure here or you can email us at sales@xyloflooring.com and we will put you in touch with the nearest Xylo stockist in your area.
