In the past, if someone told you they had walnut flooring in their house you would know what they meant. Not so anymore. You can’t just assume that solid walnut planks were used. These days, the term “wood flooring” requires more a bit more explanation.
While all wood flooring is made of wood, not all are constructed with solid wood pieces. Engineered wood is formed when two or more thin strips of wood are pressed together. Top to bottom, solid walnut flooring planks are a single piece of wood, milled from one piece of timber.
For most of the early settlers in this country, floors were usually no more than bare ground or straw. It wasn’t until the early 17th century that solid wood planks became the norm for flooring. According to Stephen Calloway’s architectural encyclopedia, The Elements of Style, by the mid 1800’s, wood floors were being massed produced. Then, sadly, right after World War II, the rush of new and cheap housing available due to the GI Bill ushered in the carpet boom. During later periods of remodeling, many delighted homeowners have ripped old carpet out of their pre-WWII homes and discovered beautiful old oak or walnut floors.
There are dozens of varieties of hardwoods that are used in solid wood floors. They are available in a wide range of styles and dimensions. Originally, wood planks were nailed perpendicular to the support beams in a building to provide more stability to the structure. Framing methods have changed, however, and today the flooring elements that are visible are mainly for aesthetic rather than structural purposes.
Besides the appearance and being able to say that your floor is solid wood are there advantages over engineered wood? One key advantage is the ability to have a totally custom-designed floor. Your choice of combinations of species, cut, stains and finishes, creates a finished floor that will be completely unique and unlike any other. Another plus is that while the top layer of engineered walnut is real wood, it’s not very thick and sanding, if possible, has to be done with extreme care. Solid walnut, on the other hand is far easier and safer to sand and refinish. In fact, with solid wood, this can be done many times over the years. Also, solid wood planks of walnut or oak or the species of your choice can be installed with nails and may often be less expensive than most of the better types of engineered wood.
Where engineered wood flooring does perform better is in its resistance to changes in temperature and moisture levels. Solid wood has the tendency for planks to shrink or expand, depending upon the season and level of humidity. Although this is significantly reduced when properly milled and kiln dried, solid planks are normally cut no wider than 5″ in order to minimize this possibility and are not recommended for installation in basement or below grade levels. In addition, solid wood requires a sub-floor and should not be installed directly on top of concrete.
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