Asked on Jun 12, 2015

Click & Lock Engineered Hardwood 3" vs 5" wide install question

Cornelia Schott
by Cornelia Schott
When installing a click & lock engineered hardwood floor, is easier to install a 3" wide plank or a 5" plank. Does the width make a difference when cutting the last piece that installs along the wall. Do you prefer a wider plank floor or do you like 3" plank?
two samples where the installation width is different.
samples
  7 answers
  • Dawn Snow Dawn Snow on Jun 13, 2015
    Wider boards mean a little less work actually. You may end up cutting a board anyways when you get to the end whether it is 3" or 5". Today wider boards are all the rage but you choose what you like. Flooring isn't like paint, you won't want to be changing it out every couple of years. Go with your gut. Good luck!
  • Barbara Milligan Barbara Milligan on Jun 13, 2015
    I prefer the look of the wider board, and it is a lot less work. For every 15 inches of floor you need 5-3 inch boards or 3- 5 inch boards. That is two less cuts for every 15 feet as well as the fact that doing anything only 3 times is faster then doing it 5 times. I am not an expert on this, and I probably do not have the correct terminology for this but I have just completed 4 rooms of hardwood. When you start you can measure from the opposite side of the room to find your starting point. Divide the number of floor inches by the width or your boards to find the approx width of your last row ( make ure to work in the spaces you leave at both walls in your calculations) sometimes it is better to cut the 1 st row if your calculations show that you will have a very skinny last row. This was also much easier to do with 5 inch boards. Good luck.
  • Jill Jill on Jun 13, 2015
    I prefer wider boards
  • EllieH EllieH on Jun 13, 2015
    Wider is better.
  • Dee Dee on Jun 14, 2015
    I have wider boards and love them.
  • K K on Oct 01, 2016
    It would depend on personal preference and size of space. What we did throughout the house is outline in 5 inch in darker color and used 3 inch otherwise. It really defines the space nicely around all the walls, fireplace, etc.
  • Debbie Gartner Debbie Gartner on Mar 29, 2017

    In general, 5 inch is easier to install. But, if your floor is uneven, the narrower wood is a bit safer as wider will show the discrepancies more. Of course leveling the floor is the better approach, regardless of size.


    Wider makes your room look larger, and it's a bit more in style.


    You can read more about solid vs engineered wood flooring here:

    http://theflooringgirl.com/hardwood-flooring/solid-vs-engineered-hardwood-better.html