The wider the better.

Is it going to be prefinished or finished onsite?

The nice thing about having your own house is that you get to have the things YOU want!

What do YOU like?

I personally do not have any white anywhere in my house.

Palimpsest

It will be prefinished, why do you ask?

The wider will cost more for the material. The narrow will incur more installation labor. Never use flooring boards that have actual width more than 6 times the actual thickness unless noticeable cupping is tolerable. Wood moves slightly with changes in temperature and moves significantly with changes in humidity-- not even Congress can change that fact.

I would go with the 2-1/4" since you are going for a "traditional" look--which for decades was narrow oak strip flooring (2-1/4) finished onsite.

Do the size of the rooms matter? I would be in the wider vs. thinner camp. You said great room/kitchen/dining so this is all one large space for the most part? That makes it sound like it could take wider boards. I don't think I would want wide flooring in a small boxed in space.

Another vote for 2-/4 site finished. It's the most stable which matters a lot to me - I really dislike looking at cupped floors and the feel of walking on them.

I really doubt just one extra inch is going to give you significantly increased cupping. We have 5" site finished floors, and while there is a bit of movement from season to season, it isn't really noticeable. Wood is a natural material, so always subject to some variation. Pal is correct that the 2 1/4" is the most traditional size, but if you like the look of the 3 1/4"...go with that. I think it is hard to go "wrong" with wood floors.

The oak floors in three of the rooms and the hallway are original to this 60+ year old house. They were installed and then finished on site. The long edges are as tight and gapless as the day they were put in. We just had them refinished. Perfect? No. Beautiful? Yes!

There is some slight shrinkage on a few of the narrow ends of the boards. There is no cupping. The boards are 1 and 1/4 inch wide. The thickness is 3/4-inch.

The plumber had to cut a new opening through the oak to install a heat vent. He ruined two one-inch drill bits in his commercial strength drill to cut the pilot holes. He was amazed how hard this old oak was.

The living room is nearly 12x23.

We're still debating if the new kitchen floor will be 1 and 1/4" wide to try to match the old floors, or to go with wider boards laid on a 45ð angle.

We have 3-1/4 site finished. Love it. Our decor tends to a bit more casual than formal traditional but I think it would be appropriate for anything unless you are going for strict traditional with the 2-1/4.

Caroline

I know what you mean about the floor being so hard! Our current house was built in 1902, with hardwood oak flooring. We have gutted and remodeled the kitchen and bath twice each in the 42 yrs we have lived here. I can't count the number of nails that we bent trying to pound them into the original wall studs.
Like cement. Those old homes were built to last!
Thanks all for your opinions.

Between those two, I would go with the 3 1/4"

Our house was build in '64 and has 2.25 site-finished oak throughout, with the exception of the front hall (and the bathrooms), which is tile. We had the oak floors installed in the kitchen to match what we have elsewhere. We have a traditional style house in New England. When this house was built the floors were extended into all the closets, which is not always the case today. The floors are solid and virtually indestructible. We raised three children and have had several pets throughout the years. Highly recommend this style, but if I were you, I'd look at both and price out both options.

We have 3 1/4". Site finished, white oak. It's beautiful. No cupping yet; three years old.

Our installer made a special layout at the front door about 5 feet by 5 feet. It's a square bordered by 2 slats and the middle has all the slats on a 90 degree angle. He was very skilled and showed us pictures of some marquetry he had done. We didn't need anything that fancy, but I do like this boxed design which sets the front door apart. The square is stained very lightly, and the rest of the floor is not. Sorry if the file is sideways - I took the picture with my iPhone.

This post was edited by littlebug5 on Sun, Jan 11, 15 at 18:41

Littlebug5
Beautiful floor.

Thank you. This was a major splurge for us, but we love it.

As it is site-finished, the surface is satin-smooth and no edges can be felt. I was particularly concerned about this in the area of the pattern at the door. But I was worried for no reason.

Another vote for 2-1/4" for your home.