Wide or Narrow: What Plank is Best for My Place?

At Gowdy Flooring, our Amarillo, TX showroom experts often explain the importance of choosing the right plank for a room. Wide or narrow, slats can change perception of a space, offering a huge visual impact that can make or break a room. Pick the wrong plank, and you end up with a small room that looks even smaller, or a massive space that looks like an echoing warehouse. On the contrary, choosing the best plank for a space, also grants the space harmony. Without further ado, let’s talk plank size!

Ideal Size

Small to medium rooms: Usually, an average-width sized plank, something along the lines of 150-200mm wide, makes a small room appear bigger.


Large rooms or open-concept spaces: Enhance space in these areas with very wide planks. This will additionally make the room seem less busy.


Expansive areas or vast rooms: Looking for a truly grand feeling of hauteur? Then, opt for an extremely-wide plank in this situation.


Here Are a Few Rules to Keep in Mind (or Break!)

#1. Pick a plank that matches the size of the room. Wide planks keep a room looking clean, while narrow planks give a sense of business. However, if the plank is too wide for such a small space, it’ll create this look of disproportion. When it comes down to it, it’s all about finding balance.

#2. There’s no need to get married to only one type of plank. In many spaces, designers have incorporated different kind of slats. In fact, if you stick to only one type of Amarillo flooring through a space, it can seem quite boring, and quite possibly, awkward. When it comes to a flooring installation, consider sticking to a standard sized plank for closed rooms like a bedroom, and wider planks for larger areas.

#3. Get funky! At our Amarillo flooring store, ask us to show you some jazzy options. There’s no reason to stick to safe picks for your entire home. Feel free to get funky and feature a chevron pattern in your entryway, but toning it down a bit for the rest of the home. Or, have some fun with a border around each space, a diagonal pattern in the living room, or run planks straight across to the feature wall in the bedroom. The sky’s the limit!