The biggest trend in hardwood flooring is currently wide plank flooring. The trend has been shifting this way for many years now and we have seen a change in some installation guidelines from manufacturers of solid and engineered wood flooring as well as adhesive manufacturers. There has also been a recent trend of installing these types of floors directly over concrete which presents a different mindset in the installation process.
Wide plank floors will expand and contract more during the change of seasons than typical strip flooring and presents a few challenges to the installers that need to be addressed and understood during the planning and quoting process. The milling of the wood must be within tighter tolerances, so using a quality mill, usually a bit more expensive, is critical to have a floor that will perform properly and last for decades. The use of moisture barriers and vapor retarders becomes more critical as well, since most of these installations will include some type of adhesive in order to help stabilize the wood flooring during changing conditions within the building and environment.