Montgomery, MN, and the neighboring communities are rich with beautiful, historic architecture. If you own an older home in Jordan or are working to preserve the character of a property right here in Montgomery, your flooring choice is critical. Installing the right hardwood style ensures your home’s charm and authenticity endure.
At Bisek Interiors, we specialize in helping you select hardwood floors that are historically accurate while providing modern durability.
The Classics That Defined Early Architecture
When looking to match or complement historic flooring, focus on three key elements: species, cut, and plank width.
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Species: Midwestern Oak and Maple: Historically, the most common hardwoods in this region were Red Oak and White Oak. They are durable, readily available, and accept a variety of stains. Maple was also popular, offering a lighter, cleaner look perfect for brighter spaces. Choosing these species immediately grounds your home in local history.
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Cut: The Timeless Quarter-Sawn: While most modern wood is plain-sawn, traditional homes often featured quarter-sawn or rift-sawn wood. These cutting methods expose the straight, dense grain of the wood, making it highly stable and providing a unique, formal appearance that avoids the busy "cathedral" grain pattern of plain-sawn lumber.
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Plank Width: Staying Narrow: Today’s wide-plank trend is beautiful, but it is not historically accurate for turn-of-the-century homes. Most historic hardwood floors used narrow planks. Sticking to this width is essential for maintaining the original scale and proportion of older rooms.
Achieving a Period-Accurate Finish
To complete the classic look, the finish is everything. Avoid overly dark, near-black stains or extreme gray tones, which are modern trends. Instead, opt for finishes that honor the past:
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Natural or Light Amber: A simple natural finish with a clear sealant allows the wood's inherent color to shine, mimicking the patina of aged, oil-finished floors.
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Classic Brown Tones: Medium, warm brown stains give the appearance of an aged, loved floor without overwhelming the original millwork or paint colors.
By focusing on these classic elements, your new hardwood floors will not only look stunning but will also honor the architectural legacy of your Montgomery home for generations to come.
