Wide plank (5 to 8 inches) is the right call for most open-plan Sammamish main floors; narrow strip (2¼ to 3¼ inches) wins when you are matching existing builder oak, working in small rooms, or want the most stable floor for the least material cost. Wills Flooring installs both at the same $3.25 per sq ft labor rate. The price difference is all in the material, and wide planks cost more per square foot and waste more in cutting.
Most of the Sammamish houses we walk into were built between 1992 and 2012, and most of them came with 2¼ inch strip oak in the entry and kitchen. Now the owners want to extend hardwood through the whole main floor and the first question is always the same: do we keep the narrow look or go wide? There is no universally right answer, but there is a right answer for your house, and it comes down to room size, what is already down, and how much movement you can tolerate.
What counts as wide, and why the line matters
| Width | Common name | How it reads | Movement risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2¼–3¼ in | Strip | Traditional, busy grain, hides dents and dirt | Lowest. Many small joints spread seasonal movement. |
| 4–5 in | Plank | Transitional, the safe middle | Low with engineered, moderate with solid. |
| 6–8 in | Wide plank | Modern, calm, shows the whole grain | Moderate. Engineered strongly recommended. |
| 9 in and up | Extra wide | Showpiece, European oak look | High for solid. Engineered only in our area. |
Width alone does not set the price of installation. Labor is $3.25 per sq ft for any width, engineered or solid, with a 500 sq ft minimum.
Wide plank: pros and cons the brochures skip
Wide plank
Choose wide when
- The main floor is open plan with rooms over 15 ft across
- You want a modern, low-contrast look with fewer seams
- You are replacing the old strip oak rather than adding to it
- You are buying engineered, which handles width without cupping
Narrow strip
Choose narrow when
- You are matching existing 2¼ inch oak in the entry or kitchen
- Rooms are small or the hallway is under 4 ft wide
- You want solid wood over a crawlspace with no humidity control
- Budget matters: strip oak is the lowest material cost per sq ft
What actually works in Sammamish houses
Klahanie and Trossachs builder oak
These 1990s homes have solid 2¼ inch red oak strip in the entry and kitchen. If you keep it, new hardwood must match width, species and grade or the seam will be obvious. If you go wide, tear out the old strip so the whole main floor reads as one floor.
Plateau humidity swings
Sammamish homes see 30 percent indoor humidity by a January furnace and 60 percent in a wet June with the windows open. A 7 inch solid plank moves about three times more than a 2¼ inch strip across that swing. Engineered wide plank is how you get the look without spring gaps.
Dogs and kids
Wide plank shows dents more because there is more uninterrupted surface to catch light. Families in Pine Lake and Beaver Lake with big dogs usually do better with a wire-brushed or matte wide plank, or with strip oak in a satin finish that hides claw marks.
Open plan main floors
Sahalee and Trossachs floor plans often run 30 ft from the front door to the back slider. Narrow strip across that distance looks like a gym floor. Wide plank at 6 to 7 inches calms the room and makes the space feel larger, which is why it dominates plateau remodels right now.
Price your Sammamish hardwood installation right now
Hardwood Installation Calculator
Installation pricing from our published rate card. Material is quoted separately based on the floor you choose.
Where the real cost difference hides
- Material, not labor. A 1,300 sq ft Sammamish main floor costs 1,300 × $3.25 = $4,225 to install whether you pick 2¼ inch strip or 7 inch plank. The material invoice is where wide plank pulls ahead, often by a wide margin.
- Waste factor. Strip floors waste about 5 to 7 percent in cutting. Wide plank in a room with angles, a fireplace hearth and a kitchen island wastes 10 to 12 percent because each cut-off is a bigger piece.
- Engineered wear layer. Wide plank almost always means engineered. Look for a 3 mm or thicker wear layer so it can be refinished later, which is what keeps it competitive with solid on resale.
- Stairs. Stairs are $125 per stair either way, but wide plank treads need to be milled from matching material and take longer to source. A typical 14-stair Sammamish staircase adds 14 × $125 = $1,750.
- Tear-out of the old strip. Nail-down strip oak comes up slowly. If you are going wide and removing the original entry oak, expect that line item on the quote.
Mistakes we get called to fix
The most expensive one: Wide solid plank installed over a vented crawlspace with no vapor retarder. It looks perfect in October and has gaps you can drop a coin into by February. If you want solid wide plank on the plateau, the crawlspace needs a sealed vapor barrier and the wood needs a full acclimation period first.
- Mixing 5 inch new plank next to 2¼ inch old strip with a flush transition. The eye reads it as a repair, not a design choice. Use a threshold or commit to one width.
- Choosing rustic grade wide plank with heavy knots for a house full of clean-lined Eastside finishes. The floor fights the cabinets.
- Running wide plank across a narrow hallway. Three boards across looks like a bowling lane. Strip or 4 inch plank handles hallways better.
- Skipping the flatness check. Wide plank telegraphs every hump in a 1990s subfloor; strip bends with it. Ask us to check flatness before you order.
How to decide at the estimate
- Lay full boards in the biggest room. Our mobile showroom brings full-length samples, not chips. A 7 inch plank on the floor of your great room tells you more than any photo.
- Look at the old oak with us. If the entry strip is sound, matching it with more 2¼ inch oak and refinishing everything together can be the cleanest, cheapest result.
- Ask for the crawlspace moisture reading. We check subfloor moisture on every Sammamish estimate. It decides whether solid wide plank is even on the table.
- Get width, species, grade and wear layer in writing. A quote for "engineered oak" can mean 2 mm veneer or 4 mm. That gap is worth thousands over the life of the floor.
- Confirm the warranty. Every Wills installation carries a 1-year workmanship warranty, and as a Metropolitan Hardwood distributor we can source matching product years later for repairs.
Plank width questions from Sammamish homeowners
Asked at estimates in Klahanie, Pine Lake, Trossachs and Sahalee.
Is wide plank hardwood more expensive to install than narrow plank?
Does wide plank hardwood make a room look bigger or smaller?
Can I mix wide plank with the existing narrow oak in my Sammamish house?
Should wide plank be solid or engineered on the Sammamish plateau?
What is the most popular plank width right now?
How much extra should I order for wide plank?
See wide and narrow planks on your own floor
We bring full-length samples to your Sammamish home, measure, check the crawlspace moisture and hand you a firm written price. Free, no obligation.
Wills Flooring serves Sammamish, Everett, Seattle, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Kirkland, Snohomish and the rest of Snohomish and King County from our Lynnwood showroom. See our hardwood installation service, published price list, engineered vs solid hardwood, hickory vs maple vs oak and which direction hardwood should run.
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