Down to the subfloor
The first photo shows the room partway through, with the old grey plank floor still down and patches of adhesive residue across it. The next shot shows it gone: bare subfloor from the fireplace to the windows, with old fasteners still in the panels.
Taking the floor right down lets the crew check the subfloor for loose panels and high or low spots. A flat, solid subfloor is what keeps a new plank floor from squeaking or showing gaps later.
The crew protected the built-ins and the fireplace with plastic sheeting while the old floor came up. Flooring removal throws dust, and white cabinets show it.
Wide planks, long runs
The new floor uses wide grey planks with a visible oak grain. The crew ran the boards the length of the room, toward the fireplace wall, and staggered the end joints so no two line up across neighbouring rows.
Long boards with a random stagger make a room look bigger and calmer. You notice the grain before you notice the seams.
Wide planks show every flaw in the subfloor, so the prep work matters more than with narrow boards. A small hump under a wide board turns into a visible rock underfoot.
Built-ins, registers and trim
This room has white built-in cabinets on both sides of the fireplace. The flooring runs tight to the cabinet bases, and the heat registers in the floor were cut in and reset flush.
White baseboard along the walls covers the expansion gap at the edges. The finished photos show the plank lines running straight through the room without a visible break.
Around the fireplace hearth and the cabinet toe-kicks, each plank had to be scribed and cut to fit. Those edges are where you look first when you walk into the room, so the crew fit them before running the open field of the floor.
The hallway
Upstairs, a warmer brown plank runs down the hallway beside a white spindle railing. The boards run the length of the hall, which keeps a narrow space from feeling choppy.
If you are planning new floors through several rooms, decide early where the transitions go. Doorways and stair landings make the most natural breaks.
