Wide Plank Flooring Toronto

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Wide Plank Flooring Suppliers in Toronto

Random width, wide plank pine, custom tinted installed in a Rosedale Residence in Toronto

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The majority of our clients live in or near Toronto Ontario. We offer free shipping directly to the site within the GTA or Barrie*, or you can pick it up at our Mill near Collingwood if you would prefer.

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If you look closely at the photo (or click it to see the larger view), our wide plank wood flooring is milled to different widths. When you buy wide plank wood flooring out of a box from a retailer it is usually a 5" board and all the same.

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Our Random Wide Plank Products are available in Beech, Ash, Oak, Maple, Pine and most other locally grown species and typically feature 3" to 8" boards and really give a different and more historical look. Pine is available in larger board sizes, however it is a softer wood.

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If you would like wide plank wood flooring installed in the Toronto Area please call Lawrence at 416-951-9998. They have 5 crews at the ready all winter long. You can also place your materials order through Lawrence.

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You can also order through the mill directly or arrange a visit with Merv at (705) 445-1147. You can click for directions at the side bar, but please call first.

*(on orders of more than $3,000)

Dehumidification Kilns.

These are drying kilns. Sort of like a garden shed with a railroad to move the lifts of stickered lumber in and out.

These kilns use heat and a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the lumber. It takes a few days to take White Pine down to 6%, and can take up to 3 weeks for some hardwoods.


The wood is always dried before being turned into flooring. Drying makes the lumber much more stable and any cracking or twisting will ocurr during the drying phase. When the lumber has "Done its Thing", we then plane it so that it is flat and true it so that it is straight.


Stickering is basically re-stacking with small spacers to allow the air to flow through the lumber. It really has to be done by hand.

These fans circulate the kiln's air through the stickered wood. Plywood is placed to direct the air to fit each load of lumber individually. If you didn't have the circulation the kiln would not dry the lumber all to the same level.


This unit is the dehumidifier--it simply extracts the water from the circulated air. There are other aspects involved, but for simplicity, we are showing you the basics.

Planing Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring

We've come a long way from the days where planing wide plank flooring was done after it was in place.

This is a 10 HP Three Phase Planer. I am not sure how old it is exactly, but she has history.

This 3500 lb machine lived at the Collingwood Shipyards for the first 35 or so years of it's life, and Merv bought it at auction.

It originally had an 8 hp, 500 Volt motor. If he tried to run it with that motor every home within 2 miles would have their lights dim for a second when it started.

This is the kind of wood planer that will remove 1/4" of material a pass and do it smooth, quickly and without slowing down. This is no handyman machine... it was designed for constant duty.

Relief Cuts - What are they for?

Relief Cuts in Flooring

These small cuts out of the bottom of flooring actually have 2 purposes.

Firstly it breaks the tension that causes wood to cup. (Cupping is when the board becomes curved across the width of the flooring).

Secondly it cuts the surface area that contacts the sub-floor. If the boards were flat on the bottom they would likely have more creaks and pivot points. Small bits of sawdust, grit or sand may cause the flooring to pivot or not sit flat after if the relief cuts did not exist. Cutting the surface area down increases the pressure on the contact points--enabling more solid connection.

White Oak and White Cedar Shingles

Now Milling White Oak Shingles and White Cedar Shingles in the Toronto Area

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Many people don't realize that shingles were made from numerous species of wood over the centuries with varying results.
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White oak, black locust, honey locust, redwood, cedar, rock elm, yellow poplar and osage orange for examples.
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Here in Ontario we traditionally had plenty of White Oak so many historical buildings originally had them.
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This is an old school mill with Merv posing beside it. Merv has actually devised a way to do the shingles on his band saw mill. Many have tried... few have had success but he has made it work.
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Where Red Cedar may last 20-40 years depending on the grade and who installed them, White Oak shingles may well last twice as long.
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White Oak Shingles are difficult to source. They are available now from Colling-Wood Flooring mill starting at $410.00 USD per square. (FOB Collingwood Ontario).
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Merv also has a supply of White Cedar to make shingles from. These start at $200.00 per square and again, it depends on the grade. We can custom mill longer, thicker or to just about any specification. Turnaround time is 6 weeks for most orders, so please book ahead.
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Most people don't realize that White Oak Shakes or Shingles have a life expectancy of 125 years and obviously they are a renewable and Green Alternative to Asphalt and most other types of roofing.
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The other issue is fire protection in places like California. These shingles can be chemically treated to resist fire as well.
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Call Merv Directly at (705) 445-1147 for more information about shingles.