It’s about wood species, (oak, maple, mahogany, cherry, the list goes on); finish, stain, texture, plank width, and much more. To help you get the creative juices going, here are a few links to some great websites that offer inspiration and ideas for your wide plank flooring project. They are full of design ideas, along with helpful hints on how to start envisioning your new wood floor. Enjoy surfing the sites, and be sure to contact us if you have any questions at all about choosing your wide plank floor.

Resources:

Hardwood Floors Magazine

Interior Design Magazine

American Society of Interior Designers

Fabulous Floors Magazine

According to the preservation-oriented website Historic New England, the painting of wood floors, especially the soft white pine of colonial New England, was well underway by the end of the 18th century.

It is not difficult to see why colonial era home-owners would paint their floors. Coverings such as rugs and carpets would have been luxuries of the rich, not a standard feature among ordinary folk. By painting their wood floors, early home-builders would be able to both preserve the wood, and to decorate the floor at the same time.

Out of this early development of painted floors has grown a long tradition of floor painting, encompassing styles ranging from a plain coat of paint to the most intricate designs imaginable — some of which create the illusion of carpets, of parquetry, or other motifs. As part of this tradition, floor painting with stencils has developed its own niche.

A typical paint scheme of the 18th century is the black and white checkerboard design. A beautiful example of checkerboard design, meant to look like marble, can be seen in the foyer of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York City:

Painted wood floor in New York's Gracie Mansion

Other traditional designs of painted floors included the compass rose motif, which was often painted to appear as a design created with inlaid wood, stencil motifs in floral and geometric designs, wildlife and floral designs, and designs meant to mimic expensive wood inlays.

If you want to recreate a very rustic look, perhaps in a period kitchen, for example, then a painted wood floor is one possibility to consider.  If you are restoring an antique painted wood floor, then other considerations may come into play also.

Here are some resources to help you plan a painted floor project. Research your job thoroughly, to ensure  sure you do the right prep work, and are working with the correct tools. With some careful planning and a little artistic creativity, painting a floor can be a rewarding and affordable project.

Floor Painting Resources:

Softwood Flooring at Historic New England Site

How to Restore Painted Wood Floors

Floor Paint Stencil Designs

Floor Painting Tips

And yes, Kellogg Hardwood Lumber is one of the two lumberyards that Asa and Matt visit in the video!

Some of the topics they cover in the video include:

• The differences between hardwoods and softwoods
• How to choose the correct grade of wood
• “Quartersawn” wood explained
• The importance of properly dried wood
• How to buy rough lumber for flooring or any project

Enjoy the video!

A beautiful finish on wide plank red oak floor

Choosing a stain

You can stain a wood floor almost any color under the sun. However, the first question to ask yourself is whether you want to stain your wood floor at all. You don’t have to. You can simply apply the topcoat or finish, and let the natural color, grain, and character of the wood shine through.  But sometimes, for various reasons, you may want to stain the wood. Typical situations that call for a stain include trying to match the wood  to an adjacent floor, or trying to reproduce a certain historic look and color for your wide plank floor.

Different stains ( and there are a confusing variety of stains on the market) can work well or poorly depending on the wood species. Again, your flooring professional should know their stains, and be able to advise you accordingly. Pigment stains, for example, work well on oak, ash, and hickory. Maple and cherry, however, can become blotchy if a sealer is not used first. And keep in mind, dark stains will be more likely to show dirt easily.

The best advice when it comes to choosing whether or not to stain, and what stain to use, is to discuss it fully with your flooring supplier and installer. You can also check out the websites of the stain manufacturers, and gain some valuable information that way.

Choosing a finish

The finish, or topcoat, is the protective layer that covers the wood floor. Properly applied, it should last for many years and be virtually maintenance-free. Unlike stains, which are optional, you will certainly want to apply a finish topcoat to your wood floor.

Our recommendation is to go with either an oil-based polyurethane or tung oil varnish for a long-lasting finish. Several coats will be needed, and in-between each coat, your installer will “screen” (lightly sand) and “tack-rag” (dust removal by rags) the finish coat.

Finishes generally come “clear” or transparent, and dry to a hard, scratch-resistant finish that lets the natural beauty of the wood shine through. However, you can also consider what’s called an “amber” finish. This finish, as the name suggests, adds an amber tint to the polyurethane, which results in a more aged look. It can be a suitable choice especially for wide plank flooring, where the goal is to create an antique look to the floor.

As with most home design projects, take the time to learn all the facts about stains and finishes, and what your options are. Some time invested in this crucial final step will surely add to your satisfaction and enjoyment of your new or restored wood flooring.

A modern bedroom design, courtesy AnswerDesign.fr

Whatever your situation, it’s likely that information about other aspects of interior design could be a big help to you right around now. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of ten great interior design sites. These are sites  that, taken together, run the whole gamut of interior design, from traditional to modern and everything in between. Hopefully, you will find ideas and inspiration to help you achieve exactly the look you want, to complement the best in wide plank flooring from here at Kellogg Hardwoods!

• Interior Design – From the people who bring you Interior Design Magazine, which covers residential and commercial topics. A comprehensive interior design site, with a very cutting-edge spin.
• Fresh Home Interior Design & Architecture – The emphasis is on warm and stylish Scandinavian interior designs. If you haven’t thought of Scandinavian in a while, give it a look. Beautiful photos, and some very cool looking wood flooring!
• Home-Designing – Wide-ranging, eclectic, and inspirational ideas are everywhere on this interior design site. Features everything from a designer couple’s home to the amazing offices of the Lego company. (Check out those colors in the Lego offices!).

Remember, as you flip through these sites — it’s all about inspiration! The incredible colors used in the Lego offices may be the perfect color for painting your child’s bedroom. The ideas for great design can come from anywhere.

• My Interior Decorator – This is the website of professional interior designer and decorator Rhonda Morin, and Rhonda includes tons of ways to help you with your interior design via online resources.  She provides a wealth of design information — and a Twitter link for keeping up to date.
• HGTV Start At Home – A list of interior design resources wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the famous T.V. show’s website. And like the T.V. show, it’s filled with great, practical ideas for everyday projects. If you’re just getting started on your project, their “Designer’s Portfolio” is a rich source of inspiration.  Start dreaming!
• Architectural Home Trends – Cool and contemporary design and decorating ideas are everywhere on this cutting-edge site. How about the “best home exercise machine for modern interior design”? Attention to the details is an integral part of this site.
• About.com: Interior Decorating – About.com is always a good place to look for all sorts of resources, and interior decorating is no exception. Their interior decorating page is loaded with design ideas, from where to find budget furniture, to tips on how to use decorative molding.
• 1stDibs  – The Most Beautiful Things on Earth – 1st Dibs is a truly unique, high-end antiques website. It’s a dealer/member site that allows you to search by city, worldwide, and source beautiful furniture and antiques to finish your interior decorating with style.
• Trend Dir Home Decorating Trends – Trend Dir is a contemporary design and decorating site, with absolutely stunning photos of the newest trends in design for the home. If your look is traditional, don’t pass this site up — many of their suggestions would work perfectly as a dramatic counterpoint in a traditional setting.
• Architectural Digest – Finally, for when you are ready to splash out a lot of money on your design project, make sure to click through to the website of one of the world’s most prominent design magazines, Architectural Digest. Sumptuous, lavish, extravagant, stylish — these are just a few of the adjectives that describe the ideas and photography in AD. Check it out. Inspiration is everywhere!

Do you have a favorite interior design or decorating site that you’d like to share? Go ahead and let us know, in the comments section.

DO:

• Sweep your floor regularly, either with a soft bristle broom, or vacuum it with a soft floor attachment.
• Clean up spills immediately — a damp paper towel is perfect for the job.
• Use floor mats at entrypoints and doorways to prevent grit or dirt getting on the floor, which can scratch the finish.
• Clean the floor occasionally with a high quality wood floor cleaner.  Several cleaning products are listed below.
• Put a barrier between furniture feet or legs, and your floor. Felt pads or plastic gliders work well.
• When you’re trying a new cleaning product, test in an inconspicuous area first.

DON’T:

• Don’t wax over a urethane finish.
• Don’t get the floor overly wet — wet mopping is not good for a wood floor.
• Don’t use cleaning products designed for tile floors on your wood floor. Follow manufacturer recommendations. If you don’t know what kind of finish is on your floor, check with a wood flooring professional in your area.
• Don’t walk on the floor wearing sharp-edged footwear, such as stiletto heels, sports cleats, etc.
• Don’t slide heavy furniture around on your wood floor. The head of a nail in a couch foot could rip a gouge in your floor before you know it.
• Don’t try refinishing or restoring a worn floor by yourself. Contact a professional if your floor appears worn beyond a point where cleaning or buffing is helpful.

Here are a couple of manufacturer’s websites where you can review their wood flooring cleaning products:

- Bona Floor Cleaner

- Murphy Oil Soap

For further reading, there is a good discussion about taking care of hardwood floors at this iVillage Home and Garden page.

A well cared for hardwood floor

Image courtesy of Stinson’s Home Design Center.

About the wood that is used for plank flooring

Wide plank flooring, which delivers the look and feel of rustic, antique flooring like no other wood can, comes in a wide variety of hardwoods, along with some soft woods.

A good place to start is the National Wood Flooring Association, which has a consumer-oriented site packed with lots of useful information on wood floors, ranging from descriptions of wood types and species, to designing a room with wood floors (with a cool interactive tool!) to wood floor maintenance. If you are thinking of installing plank floors, it is a good site to visit.

Another useful site is the American Hardwood Information Center. They cover more than floors, but also provide a good section on buying hardwood flooring. They also provide an excellent species guide that tells you where each wood grows, its physical properties, main uses, typical grades, strength and hardness, and other features that you’ll want to know before making a final choice.

Softwoods, primarily because they are softer, are less popular as flooring choices, but nonetheless several species of softwood, including heart pine, Eastern white pine, and Southern yellow pine, have been used extensively in wide plank floors, beginning with colonial times and proceeding to the present day.

The Northeastern Lumber Manufacturer’s Association has a page full of resources for eastern white pine. The association notes that Eastern white pine has been a mainstay of quality construction for centuries, and was the wood of choice for early colonists, who prized the tree for its straightness, strength, and durability. Pine floors are synonymous with early American dwellings.

Living room featuring cherry wide plank floors

Designing with wide plank flooring

There is no shortage of interior design websites to give you inspiration and ideas for wood flooring. There are no hard and fast rules about what species of wood does best in what location in your house. It is really up to you and your style of house, taste, furniture, and so forth. One of the best ways to get ideas is to look through the photo galleries of some good lifestyle and decorating websites.

Traditional Home is one such website with tons of images of different room settings. Another good site to visit is House Beautiful, especially their photo gallery of designer living rooms. You’ll see on the House Beautiful site that at least half of their top living room designs incorporate a beautiful hardwood floor — frequently wide plank.

One of the great features of wood flooring is its versatility. Wood is equally at home in contemporary homes as it is in traditional houses. You can see a lot of photos of contemporary wood flooring at this home owner forum.  Finally, take a look at some of the beautiful wood floors in the gallery of this award-winning interior designer from Minneapolis.

Contemporary wide plank maple flooring

Care and maintenance of hardwood floors

The National Wood Flooring Association is again one of the best destinations when you need information about care and maintenance of wood floors. As the NWFA notes, the recent advances in wood flooring stains and finishes means that it is easier than ever to care for a wood floor. Sweeping with a soft broom, and periodic vacuuming are the main tasks in caring for wood floors. The NWFA site has a complete list of other treatments you may consider in special circumstances. Overall, there are few maintenance chores easier than wood floors.

If you find that your wood floor needs repair or renewal, the NWFA is again a good place to start.