Peruse real estate listings for country homes from the 18th and 19th centuries, and youll likely notice a frequently cited feature: wide-plank hardwood floors. Popular with Americas early settlers thanks to a wealth of vast and untouched old-growth forests, these floorboardsranging from five to 30 incheswere born out of practicality.Eric Piasecki / OTTOReclaimed heart-pine floors feel right at home in a South Carolina carriage house designed by Schafer Buccellato Architects.Felling enormous trees was laborious, so the fewer cuts made to a tree, the better. Once felled, the trunks were often cut into quarters, and then the planks were cut at a 45-degree angle from those quarters, creating what is referred to as quarter-sawn wood. (This technique helps prevent boards from bowing upward.) Nicks and scratches are the architectural equivalent of hard-earned wrinkles and laugh lines.Courtesy of Christopher Horwood/Artichoke Ltd.Wide plank floors add soul to a kitchen designed by Artichoke. As the countrys timber supply depleted and building practices became more refined, hand-hewn boards became harder to come by. Today, theyre prized for their humble history, old-school craftsmanship, and the sense of character that comes from those who plodded their planks beforeso much so that theres a growing number of suppliers of salvage, including Evolutia (Alabama), StoriedBoards (New York), and Antique Beams and Boards (Ohio), to help homeowners create a well trodden look. Rikki Snyder for Country LivingWide plank floors up the charm factor in this old home designed by Christina Salway.Related StoriesRachel BarrettRachel Barrett is the Editor-in-Chief of Country Living. She can't pass up a vintage seascape, drives an '89 Woody Wagoneer (that is, when it'll start), and hopes to buy you a lemonade at a future Country Living Fair.