I have 103 boxes of Mohawk prefinished 3/4 x 3 1/2 r/l Plymouth Oak flooring and most of the boards are short. The average length is probably 35″ and there are no long boards. I’ve been told by my dealer and the manufacturer that “you get what you get.” Random lengths are defined as 9″-72″, but there are no 72″ boards. Is this the usual thing?
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With 103 boxes and a random selection from 9" to 72" I would be furious if there was nothing over 35".
That's a random selection from 9" to 35" and that's going to look very bitty with a timber like Oak.
IanDG
Shorts are common.
There certainly is a lot of play in the 9"-72" figures...personally I don't like anything shorter than 36". Excessive short boards, especially with varying grain patterns and levels of stain penetration (light/dark) can distract from the beauty of a hardwood floor and instead make it look a bit jarring to the eye.
The only thing I'd do with a 9" short is use it as a persuader.
Never used Mohawk, so I can;t relay specifics on them.
Still, it's always good to pop open a few boxes (though you may not have had the chance to d so) before buying, and if you ever get wood from a "liquidator" type of outfit, always cut the banding on stacks of flooring to see if what you're about to buy is nothing but shorts surrounded by slightly longer shorts.
Letting the seller know before hand that you're going to dig in deep will often result in them telling just what's in the box or stack before you have to open it up.
generally get more shorts w pre-finish product, and in lesser grades of both pre-finish and unfinished have installed mohawk brand pre-finished flooring; cherry, oak, and found it to be good quality, but had longer lengths than you're encountering
if their literature says random lengths ranging to 72", take them to task for the absence of them you will not install the most eye-appealing floor using all shorts, although the slightly wider 3 1/2" will help camouflage the effect may be hard to stagger seams from course to course
not familiar w the model, but an exception would be if this is rustic or tavern grade flooring on par w #2 common the lack of long lengths is to be expected