Hardwood flooring choices (subfloor, granite countertops, color, plank)

[Anu2]

I'm building a house and currently I have a really light wood floor chosen for the main level (kitchen, dining, living, sunroom, and powder room). I chose this color because I thought it would keep the rooms nice and bright and also provide a nice contrast to the cherry wood cabinets and ubatuba granite countertops in the kitchen. Additionally, I think the wood is in 2 1/2 inch planks which seems very skinny to me.

I got pricing on an upgrade to 3 1/4 inch planks and it's going to add another $1,700. I like the look of wider planks but I don't know that that's worth it. Also, now I'm starting to question the light floor color. I feel that the combination of skinny planks and light floor makes it look a little cheap.

Any opinions/advice on what might be a good alternative would be great (BTW, I'm interested in a very modern/contemporary look)!

[JayCT]

I assume the floor you are going with is made of oak and I know what you mean about the look of it. To me it seems a bit "pedestrian" meaning that it is what every standard home has. It really doesn't mean it is cheap looking, just nothing special.

We went with the wider width strips and love the look. It is a bit different but not so that it will go out of style in a few years. Also note that oak with darken and gain "character" with age so I wouldn't worry if the floors are too light as long as you are not putting a "wash" on it to keep them from darkening.

As for if it is worth $1,700 for the wider width, it is hard to say. Not many people would consiously notice the difference, but it sounds like you will. I'd go with the wider width. JMHO Jay

[JesCerwin]

Anu - We're currently building a house as well, and with cherry cabinets and Uba Tuba granite countertops, so we went with a honey colored floor. We have sleek, modern tastes - clean lines and minimalist, but dark rather than light. Plus, the lighter colored floors always look fake IMHO.

If you are going to put down rugs, I don't think the narrow planks will bother you too much. However, if you are going to have a majority of the wood flooring exposed, you should spend a little extra to get what you like.

[riveree]

If this is real hardwood, with a subfloor underneath, I'd go for the wider planks.

Over time, there may be some shrinkage in the wood, and the less "openings" between the boards, the better (wider boards, less openings ).

Honey-color is a nice idea, and it's always easy to go darker later if you want to.

[Anu2]

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the honey color now. I'm still not sure about the wider planks simply because the expense is a little hard to swallow. I'm heading over to the flooring place in a few minutes so we'll see how it goes!