Wide plank flooring...how wide can I go?

[OffGrid973]

Do not overlook the sap, when those 12"+ come off and you start storing them they can bleed all over and pain in the tookis to clean up. 

I believe there is a saying that Bigger Is Better, go for it !

[kantuckid]

I've done several wide board floors and see no reason to saw that white pine more than a hvy 4/4 thickness. We walk on them all the time! If band milling to very close tolerance for my own use I'd do 1 1/16". I would saw the logs for quality grade, not just to see how wide each will go. It will move even if you screw it down! That's a reality of wood-somethings gotta give. I would never glue down a wide board floor made from solid wood-that goes against the logic of wood use and fact that wood moves. My subfloors are all wide white pine based on simple fact that at the time I built my home it was a wood species that had zero market in my area and still that way to a degree, thus it was cheapo choice and part of another deal I made with my sawyer back then too.
Statements above as to it's not dry-that's true. Maybe the log ends and if so that gains you nothing other than maybe a defect in the end of a board. It's an easy wood to air dry but expect resin and seal the floor accordingly. Only a kiln will kill powder post beetles or pull out the resin, not that I'd worry about it. A local mill sells white pine logs & house kits-they use borate on all of theirs.
Me being a woodworker, I'd saw the butt log for use in cabinetry of some kind, not flooring!!! The rest should yield lots of floor bds..
You said you saved it from becoming firewood-have to be pretty hard-up to burn white pine IMO given there's oak in your province.

[slider]

Fourteen years ago when i restored a 100 year old farm house i used 12 in wide syp.I used 1/2 in plywood on top of the old floor then nailed the pine with cut nails because i wanted that old look.It is not a fancy high end floor but nor is the house but it came out well.The wood was as dry as i could get it at the time.I wound up with not more than 1/16 gap and no cupping.Remember pine is soft so you can expect some dents and scuffs over time.

[flatrock58]

Saw this floor on Facebook site Woodworking Enthusiasts.   Might be a little hard to duplicate!  They have a lot of amazing woodworking photos.




 

[Magicman]

  That is a bit over the top.  First time that I have ever seen "liquid" lumber.

[Rob in NC]

I installed 11" pine over radiant heat. I was told it wouldn't work, too much spliting and cupping. 18 years later it's still pretty flat, no splits or checks. BUT it moves every season a bit, with about 1/8" gaps, which I'm fine with, I wanted it to look old anyway and old farmhouse floors around here with true wide plank floors have big gaps. It depends on what look you want. 30" would be too much seasonal movement to not split in my opinion but 12-16" would be acceptable as long as you are willing to accept the joints and ocassional checks. I put mine down with cut 2 1/2" nails at every joist, 2 and 3 nails alternating joists.

Have you got any pictures of the floor? I'm thinking of the same setup for a house I plan to build in a couple years