Well we have pine that is 2X6 structural upstairs and 1X6 on top of subfloor downstairs. They're actually closer to 5 inches than 6 inches. We went with the wide plank softwood because we wanted a farmhouse feel and many of the older houses here were built that way. It's definitely a more primitive/country look than the narrower hardwood floors.

We used 3, 4, and 5 inch wide planks of red oak, alternating. I guess we were non-committal?

We were going with 3 1/4 select white oak and the flooring people delivered 2 1/4. To make up for the mistake, they installed 4 inch select white oak which we love.

We used 3-1/4 white oak because we liked it better than the 2-1/4 and because we thought since the rooms were larger than in our old house it would look better.

Anne

Thanks everyone. I would love pictures from anyone who has any...

We went with a 4" wide hickory. I love the look of a wide board, but was concerned about the stability of the wood going any wider than 4". I also like varied widths, but the install price was going to be much more for us so we just stuck with one width. Here's a picture of our installed, but not yet finished floors.

I think mine's 5". Generally larger rooms will look better with wider planks. Also not to rehash the solid vs engineered thread, but wider planks of solid will show the effects of expansion/contraction more than engineered, meaning you may have larger gaps in winter (or buckling in summer if not installed correctly) than if you used narrower planks (of solid).

Hey, Kelleg. These aren't the best pictures - sawdust everywhere as they are still installing! They are 3 1/4 Cumaru. I currently have 3" oak and can notice the difference visually by just adding the 1/4".

Just remember that the wider the planks the more they will move between heating and cooling season as the humidity changes.

No finish can stop the changes, only slow it down slightly.

We've got 4" maple and LOVE them! We chose the larger widths because we have long spans of wood flooring and didn't want the "match stick" effect that we would have had with the narrower planks. I would have loved to go wider, but I was worried about stability.

kelly,
We used 5" red oak. We have wood almost the entire first floor and the 5" look good. Where we live, suburb of Dallas, the heavy handscrapedlook is still popular. Instead, I had them scrape in the long direction only. I really like how it turned out. Sort of soft grooves. Not as rustic as when they handscraped in both directions. I also used a lighter stain than they normally use. Chestnut stain. More of a medium brown. Not super dark brown as many Old World homes use. Just some comments for an FYI. I have no idea what look you are going for.

Ginny

PS I did the wood floors in our master bedroom and as great as it looks, I kind of wish I would have done nice soft carpet instead??? Not that the wood is cold, but it shows every piece of lint in there and that room can feel a little "cold" because I don't have any drapes in there yet. I think the carpeting would have made it feel cozier.

We are installing (today!!!) 5.25 inch heart pine throughout the house. Absolutely love them so far. I will send pics if interested.

Stephanie,
Please post pics! I love heart pine. I was in a home today that was built in 1868 and the original heart of pine floors were so beautiful.

I will be happy to!! We struggled to figure out what we wanted. Looked at walnut, oak, maple, tiger wood, teak, but the heart pine just spoke to me. I want our home to have a coastal cottage feel, and the heart pine really fits the bill. They started the floors today, so I will post picks in their natural state. Our builder lays early. Since they are real 3/4 inch tongue and groove wood, they will be sanded and "polyed" before we move in.

Thanks all. The pictures are helpful.