Antique Wide Plank Flooring

In a Word: Historic

Antique wood flooring is like stepping into the history of a building. These planks come from structural beams recovered from barns, factories, and warehouses that have weathered decades, even centuries, of hard work and forces of nature. The wood has texture, character, and a patina that only time can create. Antique oak glows with warm aged golds; heart pine shows its deep red heart; chestnut offers rich, earthy tones. No two boards are alike, and every imperfection tells a story — these aren’t just floors, they’re the history of Americana under your feet.

Is Antique Wide Plank Flooring Right for You?
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  • Widths: 3″ – 12″
  • Lengths: 2′ – 14′
  • Custom Milled Thickness & Edges
  • Hardness: Extremely Hard
  • High-traffic
reclaimed chesnut wall boards
antique chestnut wall panels in billard room
reclamied chestnut texture
reclaimed chestnut closeup
antique chestnut wall panels with pool sticks
reclaimed chestnut wall boards
american chestnut tree
reclaimed heart pine in billard room with deer heads
recalmied heart pine abutting tile kitchen floor
reclaimed heart pine in living room with small decorative rug
reclaimed heart pine in billard room
reclamed heart pine texture
reclaimed heart pine closeup
recalmied heart pine in kitchen
recalimed heart pine in living room with two steps into hallway
reclaimed oak floor closeup
reclaimed oak floor with shag rug, fireplace, and two chairs
reclaimed oak closeup texture shot
reclaimed oak closeup with soft chair
reclaimed oak flooring with fireplace
antique oak flooring closeup with sun cascading through windows

Why Choose Antique Wide Plank Flooring?

Fascinating

Antique floors have a story to tell, and you can see it in every board. The planks are sawn from the beams found in old barns, factories, and mills—places where people worked hard and the buildings stood through generations. You’ll find nail holes, saw marks, maybe a crack here and there, mineral staining from bolts and nails, and that’s exactly what makes them special. 

The unique features of these woods—the prominent grain and golden brown of oak, the deep red heartwood of heart pine, and the character and richness of chestnut—are made more dramatic with age and the elements. 

These floors add some serious personality to farmhouse style, rustic, southwestern, and industrial environments. For a real conversation piece, put them into a modern design style!

Antique Wide Plank Flooring's Durability

Don’t let the gentle checking (cracks), knots, and mineral stains fool you. The wood from the beams we recovered has been holding up buildings for decades, even centuries. The grain has compressed over time, making these hardwoods even more dense and durable. It’s an excellent choice for high-traffic areas like homes with pets and children, offices, and retail stores. 

Dramatic contrast & character

Adds a distinctive flair to any design style

Made from historic and rare aged wood

The History of Antique Wide Plank Flooring

History Title …

History paragraph goes here

old barn building from postcard
Wood Type Hardness: Janka Scale Rating Able to Stain? Character Price Point Per Square Foot
Hardwoods
White Oak 1360 Yes Prominent grain; slight color variation; clear or with knots $14 - $25
Quartersawn White Oak 1360 Yes Prominent, primarily straight grain with some wavy variation $18 - $30
Walnut 1010 Yes Soft grain; occasional gold "sapwood" tones $14 - $25
Cherry 950 Yes Soft grain; consistent color tone $14 - $20
Maple 1450 Not Recommended Soft grain; consistent color; occasional mineral stain or knot $14 - $20
Hickory 1820 Yes Soft grain; dramatic color variation; occasional knots $14 - $20
Red Birch 1260 Not Recommended Soft grain; strong color variation $14 - $20
Red Oak 1220 Yes Prominent grain; subtle color variation; knots $14 - $20
Pines
Old Growth Eastern White Pine Soft wood: Will show dents and scratches for a "lived on" look Yes Soft grain; consistent color; occasional knots $10 - $17
Southern Longleaf Heart Pine 1225 Yes Prominent, primarily straight grain; red "heartwood" throughout each plank; knots and other natural character $12 - $16
Antique Woods
Antique Wood Flooring Between 1290 and 1360 Not Recommended Prominent grain; color variation; deep patina from age; knots; mineral streaks; worm holes; other natural character representing aged wood $18 - $35

Frequently Asked Questions

Antique flooring can be a fascinating addition to a variety of environments. They’re not perfect, and they’re not meant to be. These floors have a rugged kind of beauty that only comes with age. You have to appreciate that history, that honesty in the wood, to really love them.

Whether antique wood floors lend themselves to open-floor plans and large rooms is a matter of preference. Because we cut our planks from tremendously large beams that had to support large industrial structures, we are able to make floor planks in stunningly long lengths, from 2′ up to 14′. This means that you will not have all of the seams from the short lengths of the floor boards found in mass-produced strip flooring. On the other hand, you will see a lot of rustic character in larger spaces.

To see if this wood type is the right fit for your space, explore real examples of “antique wood” floors in our homeowner galleries, as well as on Pinterest or Houzz. Pay attention to color, grain, and finish in environments similar to what you are hoping to achieve. When the look matches your vision, and if it fits your budget, wide plank walnut can be a lasting, beautiful foundation for your project. 

William & Henry follows NWFA guidelines recommending that solid wood flooring be acclimated on-site until the flooring moisture content is within approximately ±2% of the subfloor. This process typically takes about 8–10 days, depending on the jobsite environment. If both the flooring and the subfloor are already within ±2% of each other and reflect stable, lived-in interior conditions, additional acclimation may not be required.

Yes. Our antique wood floors are very stable and can be successfully installed using radiant heat underlayment. There are some important procedures to follow with this type of installation and we will answer all of your questions related to climate, heat sources, and temperature variations.

Learn more about why radiant heat is the best option for wide plank floors.

Yes. All the wide plank floors that William & Henry make will perform beautifully and remain stable in humidity and seasonal changes. The key is to acclimate your floors for the recommended period of time to the environment that the floor will live in prior to installation.

We do not recommend staining or coloring your antique wood floors. Antique oak, longleaf heart pine, or chestnut will take a stain well, but consider the reason why you chose antique wood flooring — the deep, rich patina from centuries of aging being one of them. If you are looking for a more uniform color, consider the character-grade option of the new wood counterpart.

Finishing options are extensive these days but our favorites are time tested and have properties that can be counted on for durability and ease of maintenance.

  • Loba ImpactOil Color System: The ImpactOil coloring system offers and alternative to staining and finishing. It’s a high-solid coloring oil finishing system based on natural ingredients and available in a wide variety of designer colors. This finish and coloring system is our first recommendation for today’s William & Henry floors. It actually penetrates into the wood for a lasting beauty and forever finish. It is also easy to maintain and you’ll never have to refinish your floors. Learn more about Loba-Wakol 2k ImpactOil on their website.
  • Waterbased Urethane: This type of finish is best for natural wood types where you want to maintain the organic color tone without the rich patinas that are the result of oil-based finishes. One example is the white tone of maple or the neutral hue of hickory.
  • Tung Oil: We like 100% pure tung oil, which comes from the nut of the tung tree, for many reasons. It actually penetrates into the wood fibers, strengthening your solid wood floors all the way through. It is the best finish for highlighting and richening the natural beauty of wood and produces a matte sheen appearance. Visit the Waterlox Website to learn more about 100% Pure Tung Oil.

Maintenance of your wood floor is determined by the type of finish used to protect the floor.

  • Some finishes are harder initially and will last years. Eventually, based on traffic levels and wear, floors will need to be refinished. This is common with urethanes.
  • Other finishes, such as the natural tung oil or ImpactOil are not as hard, but will never need to be refinished. You can touch up noticeable wear areas by applying another layer of oil.

Our recommendation for cleaning your wood floors is to use Swiffer products for woof floors as well as Bona or Loba products. Make sure your floor cleaner products are pH-neutral.

Yes, but you may not need to.

Solid Wood Floors:

  • With natural tung oil or ImpactOil you will never need to refinish your floors. Simply apply a new layer or spot apply to areas that show signs of wear.
  • With urethane finishes, when and how often you do so will depend on the level of heavy traffic and visible signs of wear a deterioration of the finish. 

Engineered Wood Floors:

  • With pre-finished engineered wood floors using natural tung oil or ImpactOil you will never need to refinish your floors. Simply apply a new layer or spot apply to areas that show signs of wear.
  • With urethane finishes, when and how often you do so will depend on the level of heavy traffic and visible signs of wear and deterioration of the finish. Most engineered wood floors can only be refinished a limited number of times (one or two). William & Henry wide plank engineered wood floors have a thicker wear layer than mass-produced engineered products, and can be sanded and refinished three to four times.

At William & Henry, every floor we craft is backed by our unwavering commitment to your satisfaction and the integrity of our work. Our lifetime limited structural warranty reflects the confidence we have in our craftsmanship — ensuring your floor will remain solid, stable, and beautiful for generations. Each plank is designed to be refinished multiple times (when necessary and appropriate), extending its life and deepening its character with age. 

We ask that our customers and installers handle our floors with the same care and respect with which they were made, following proper installation and maintenance guidelines to preserve their quality. Should an issue ever arise, we’ll work with you directly to make it right — because our relationship with you matters just as much as the floors we create.

Read Our Complete Warranty

You can expect to pay a higher price for antique wood flooring than for its new wood counterparts— $18 to $35/square foot, depending on the species (antique chestnut will be at the higher end of the pricing range) and widths.

Antique wood flooring is one of the most environmentally responsible choices you can make. Every plank comes from beams and timbers salvaged from old barns, factories, and warehouses that have outlived their original purpose. Instead of ending up in a landfill, that wood gets a second life as flooring. It’s a way to honor the craftsmanship of the past while making a sustainable choice for the future, and keeping history alive underfoot.

Learn more about Don Carlisle’s approach to sustainability.

The Janka hardness scale measures how much force it takes to embed a steel ball into wood—a method that doesn’t truly reflect how a floor performs in a home. What matters most is how the wood is procured, milled, and installed: at William & Henry, we craft our wide plank floors from the heart of slow-growing, old-growth trees, maximizing stability, strength, and long-term durability. In fact, many homes built with their original wide plank floors are still standing in America today.

For those curious about the Janka test and why it’s not the whole story, we cover it in more detail on our blog.

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