Many homeowners are excited when they find that hardwood flooring has been under their carpets all along and, with just a little help, it can be restored to its former glory. However, many also find their hardwood flooring is a mere 1 1/2” wide, with the standard today being three to five inches wide. It can be difficult to match such narrow flooring planks, but not impossible.
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There are many options for finding 1 1/2″ hardwood flooring, and probably one of the best options is to look online. You can certainly look for a supplier closer to home, but chances are all they will have is new hardwood flooring dimensions that are 3/4″ thick and at least 2 1/4″ wide and wider.
Homeowners are generally faced with using a different flooring option altogether, using a new flooring that matches somewhat, or finding a 1 1/2” hardwood flooring that matches almost perfectly. Budget constraints, personal preference, and supply will all go into finding the perfect option for you.
History of 1 1/2” Wide Hardwood Flooring
The U.S. underwent a housing boom after World War II as the GIs came back from Europe and the Pacific ready to find a little slice of heaven to call home. Though carpeting was a very desirable option at the time, hardwood flooring was installed in many homes. Often, the new hardwood flooring was immediately covered over with carpet, as carpet was a status symbol due to its higher price.
Today, such narrow hardwood flooring is referred to as strip flooring, according to the National Wood Flooring Association. Many homeowners discover the happy surprise of solid hardwood flooring during renovations and remodeling, and are keen on restoring the floor to its original grandeur.
The demand for 1 1/2″ wide hardwood flooring has risen so much that many distributers and retailers have sat up and taken notice. If enough people want it, then the supply will soon follow.
Uses of 1 1/2” Wide Hardwood Flooring
Many homeowners are delighted to find that original, solid hardwood flooring exists under layers of carpeting, and many choose to attempt a refurbishment. The restoration of older homes to their original states has had the attention of weekend warriors for years, and original, authentic hardwood flooring certainly falls within the restoration concept.
Many homeowners may have existing 1 1/2″ hardwood flooring, and they want to add an addition that requires buying more of the same flooring.
Some may find that their budget does not allow for completely new flooring if they want a unity of flooring throughout their homes. In such a case, finding more flooring is the most common solution.
Furthermore, some homeowners may also be looking for 1 1/2” stock to repair existing floor boards. While hardwood flooring can be sanded and refinished many times, there are instances of rot, water damage, or warping where some boards must be replaced altogether.
Lastly, some homeowners might just enjoy the look of 1 1/2″ hardwood flooring. Such narrow planks create long lines that are thought to visually increase the size of a room and lend a traditional look and feel.
Flooring trends come and go, and while the World Floor Covering Association maintains that wide-plank flooring is a hot trend at the moment, narrow hardwood flooring like 1 1/2″ is sure to enjoy another day in the sun. Certainly, the WFCA also asserts that authenticity is another important hardwood flooring trend, and strip flooring is authentic to many older homes.
Typical Species
Just like such seemingly oddly-shaped flooring was the norm back in the day, so too was the hardwood species from which such flooring was made. There was no focus on exotic hardwoods or foreign species with distinct patterns.
Most 1 1/2″ hardwood flooring was made from native Red Oak and White Oak. Both are traditionally dense hardwood species that can withstand a high amount of wear and tear, according to the Janka Hardness Chart offered in pdf format by the Timber Merchants Association.
Both Red Oak and White Oak flooring tend to have lighter tones of brown that are about the same shade as honey. True to its name, White Oak is usually lighter. Both Red and White 1 1/2″ Oak flooring will likely have many contrasting bands of rings that are natural to the wood, but they are more widespread bands of darker color rather than distinct stripes of darker wood.
However, some homes did use 1 1/2″ Hard Maple flooring or 1 1/2″ Walnut, both of which are native to the U.S. Generally, 1 1/2″ Hard Maple flooring is very light in color, ranging into the pale blond tones.
Walnut hardwood flooring usually has an ashy tone and distinct bands, but it is also a popular wood for using a dark stain.
Although 1 1/2″ Walnut flooring would likely have been just treated with a clear-coat finish that long ago. Of course, all uncovered hardwood floors have the possibility of having been refinished by someone else, so a 1 1/2″ flooring board could feature any number of shades of stains.
Matching Old and New
Matching a new hardwood flooring with planks that have been in place for over 50 years can be a challenge. No hardwood flooring is impervious to the effects of UV sunlight, wear and tear or just aging in general. The quality of stains and finishes have changed so much over the years that it can be hard to seamlessly match an older hardwood flooring.
Obviously, utilizing the same wood is the first starting point, in order to get the look of the wood’s natural design. Some species of hardwood have few rings and bands, others have indistinct markings, and others have heavily contrasting bands of light and dark color. The grade and cut of your original hardwood flooring will have a lot to do with how many knots and rings there are.
Stains and finishes come afterwards, and it can be quite a chore to match a new stain to one that has been fading for decades. The tints, tones, and aging of older stains will all have an effect on the ease of matching your original hardwood flooring color to newer stains and finishes.
Another consideration when matching old flooring to new hardwood flooring planks is that older solid hardwood floors also came in a variety of thicknesses. Most solid hardwood flooring these days is 3/4-inch thick, but older flooring planks could be as thin as 5/16-inch, half as thick at 3/8-inch, or just a bit thinner at 1/2-inch. Finding a new hardwood flooring option that matches the width, thickness, and species of an original hardwood flooring can be quite a puzzle!
Matching shades and stains is another problem, even after you have matched up the dimensions and species of an older hardwood flooring. One option is to sand down the old floors to bare wood, install the new planks, and then finish both old and new hardwood flooring boards at the same time with the same stain and protective coating.
You can buy 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ Solid Oak Flooring that is unfinished to match your existing Oak flooring, and then finish the two at the same time for a more uniform look.
Other options might include using transition pieces between rooms so that old and new flooring boards are not side-by-side for a glaring comparison of their differences. Varying designs can also detract from the slight differences between old and new hardwood floors. For instance, if your old 1 1/2 inch oak flooring is laid horizontally, then the new hardwood flooring can be laid at an angle.
Manufacturers
As the demand for older styles of plank hardwood flooring has grown, many hardwood flooring manufacturers have stepped up to fill the demand. Many are like the Lebanon Oak Flooring Co. in Kentucky. The plant has been manufacturing hardwood flooring since 1919, and it was probably the manufacturer of a lot of the original 1 1/2″ Oak, Maple, and Walnut flooring that homeowners are looking to replicate today.
Manufacturers with a long time in the hardwood flooring business have seen many flooring trends come and go. Perhaps starting up production of a new trend may just require getting some old plans and methods out of storage! Certainly, an experienced hardwood flooring manufacturer will have the knowledge and experience to create the highest quality product possible.
Options for Suppliers
While narrow hardwood plank flooring will certainly be more difficult to find than more common sizes, it is not impossible. The best option is to look online to find 1 1/2″ Red Oak, 1 1/2″ Maple, 1 1/2″ White Oak, and 1 1/2″ Walnut in the different arrays of thicknesses. You can certainly find 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ Red Oak flooring, 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ Red Oak flooring, 3/8″ x 1 1/2″ Red Oak flooring, and so on.
Online suppliers also offer great prices, so you can ensure that your special find of an original hardwood floor remains a great deal. Whether you need a few replacement pieces or enough for an extensive addition, using online suppliers to match your original flooring is your best bet!
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