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We are building a new home and need wood flooring advice. Trying to figure out which direction the slates should go and how wide or narrow of wood to buy. Thinking of going with a natural Ash wood. The U-shaped kitchen with island in the middle flows into the open concept dining room. Does having wider pieces make the room feel bigger or smaller? Any thoughts?
Sometimes you don't get a choice in which direction to run your slats because the joist system may dictate that. Consult your builder.
If you after consulting your buildinger, you discover your have a choice, I prefer slats to run the length of a room as opposed to running the width of a room.
Diagonal is very attractive, makes areas seem larger, and can be used for most joist systems. It's more expensive to install a floor diagonally though.
If you go with engineered flooring, make sure you get spares for possible future fixes, as thes do becoem discontinued. Noting that some builders may call engineered flooring 'natural ash' finish. If it is true natural ash, actual wood that is -- see how often it will need refinishing in the future, depending on what the finshers apply, and how it will be cleaned (dry mop, etc)
I'm with Hopes on the diagonal, but that would depend on the room.
Actually, larger tile or wood will make a room appear larger, its an optical illusion called foreshortening.
It works, I've done it in dozens of houses, also, turning an 18x18 tile on the diagonal and using the smallest grout line possible makes a room appear larger, foreshortening again.
I think people generally prefer wider wood. I am going with 3 1/4 oak in my house. the "standard" builder grade in my area are the 2 1/4 oak.
I also agree, and I think its standard practice to run teh floor the long way in the room. the closer to square a room is the more it doesn't matter. in my house, there will be one change of plane where we are going to change the direction. the way you run it is very important in hallways as it really can make the hall look like a ladder.
there are also issues if you start going very wide regarding gaps that can develop with the change in weather, it also can get expensive.
Also another thing I've heard, and to some extent believe is, the wider you go, the less formal it looks. narrower boards like a 2 1/4 with a decorative inlay boarder around the edge of the room, look formal compared to 3 inch without the inlay..
I would like to know what style your house is before I would recommend width. Contemporary? Casual/Rustic? Traditional?
I have read on several design blogs that the direction of the wood should run the same direction that the natural light flows into a room. I'm not sure if this is a steadfast rule, though!
In most of the model homes in my area, the planks have been at least 4" wide. Not sure if that means it's a "trend" right now, or they've done market research and that's what most prefer?
My style is very traditional. We are planning to use medium oak cabinets. We are planning to use 5" natural Ash flooring. The way it is shown in the picture is the way the builder said it should be based on the floor joists. However, I had thought based on other notes and the initial comments the floor should go the opposite of shown. Although, I do like the sound of the comment that the floor should go along with the sunlight. The side of the home with the living room faces a wide river which along our section has an indent of a bay and faces south/southwest, so it should have great sunlight in the evening. Since we are still in the planning stages, our 2 acre lot is still full of pines and popples. I say that just to say I still have time to change anything! We are in northern Wisconsin referred to as God's country, so not being formal is not a huge concern. Although, I do have a little classier taste than the typical country style of most around here. So should I shy from the 5" wide ash?
Besides the input on the flooring, please feel free to make any other comments too. Thanks!
Northern Wisconsin? With the bulk of heating degree days up there, I'd be jumping at the chance to put in radiant floors! So, I'd put in an engineered wood or bamboo products that will work with this system of heat.
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