Long-length planks add value to a home. They create the appearance of a high-end custom floor. Wide and extra-long planks reduce the number of seams on the floor. A floor that has fewer seams appears more cohesive, unique, and beautiful.
Experts agree that the width and length of a floor’s planks are among the most significant things to consider when designing a floor.
Pros of Long-Length Planks
Fewer Butt Joints: Opting for longer floorboards can significantly decrease the number of butt joints and seams in a floor, potentially reducing them by up to 80%. For instance, using boards that are 1-2 feet long can result in approximately 2,000 joints in a 500 square-foot area. In contrast, installing longer boards, ranging from 2 to 7 feet, can cut the total number of joints down to 200 or even fewer. This reduction in butt joints contributes to a cleaner, less cluttered appearance in the floor space compared to using shorter boards.
Superior Quality Boards: Often, shorter boards are produced from younger, less mature trees. The result is lower quality than longer boards. Furthermore, the need to cut around defects in the trees often leads to the production of shorter boards. In contrast, longer boards typically come from older trees with minimal to no visible defects in their trunks, ensuring a higher quality of wood. This ultimately results in a final product that is significantly more stable and durable over time.
Simplified Maintenance: A wooden floor with numerous joints and seams provides more chances for dust, dirt, and grime to accumulate. Over time, this buildup can make the joints look darker and more noticeable. In contrast,longer planks can mitigate this problem. Also, in some cases, depending on the room’s length, it may even be possible to eliminate joints entirely. Fewer joints also mean fewer areas for water to gather during cleaning, reducing the risk of the boards rotting over time.
Aesthetics: Longer floorboards are often more visually appealing, creating a seamless and flowing look in any room where they are installed. Wider and longer boards contribute to a more rustic charm. It’s particularly significant when replacing an existing wooden floor in an older property. It helps preserve the original aesthetic as much as possible.
Cons of Long-Length Planks
Weight and Handling: Long hardwood planks are naturally heavier than their shorter counterparts. Often, this can create challenges during transportation and installation. Their size often makes bundling impractical, necessitating the manual offloading of individual boards instead of the more convenient bundled or boxed shorter boards. As a result, the delivery time for long-length flooring can be twice as long as that for boxed flooring. Only a few boards can be transported at once. It could take more work and caution to unload and move these big planks to protect the boards and the work area. While the weight of long planks can be a disadvantage during handling, their size can enhance stability once installed. These larger pieces tend to lie flatter and are less likely to shift, contributing to a more stable floor.
Higher Costs: Because of the superior quality and length of the material, these premium planks are typically more expensive.
Installation Considerations: Long planks can be heavier and more difficult to handle. Typically, it happens in confined areas or around corners, even though their installation times are faster. This could require more cutting and customizing, which could make the installation process more difficult.
Conclusion
Long planks are especially important on wide plank floors. The wider the boards, the choppier a floor with short lengths will look. These long lengths give you a beautiful flowing look you would expect from a rustic, wide plank floor.
Even though they are more expensive, the long-term durability and aesthetic value they bring to any project make the investment worthwhile
We take pride in our ability to offer the best quality of the longer lengths. The luxurious appearance of a longer floor adds distinction and stunning to a space.