Nova Walnut and Oak Wide Plank for Park Slope Brownstones
Posted October 31, 2026
The Nova collection offers walnut and European oak in wide engineered planks with a 4mm wear layer, well suited to Brooklyn brownstones.
Call (908) 232-6600 or book a virtual consultation to review samples and specifications for your project.
Brownstones in Park Slope, Prospect Heights and Carroll Gardens often need new floors that respect the house while handling modern family life. Our Nova collection is described on its product pages as ideal for brownstones, with wide engineered planks in walnut and European oak.
Here is how the collection is specified and how to choose a tone for each floor of the house.
Walnut: Sarabelle and Foggia
Sarabelle is American walnut with a deep, rich dark tone and a wire-brushed texture that enhances the natural grain. It is 5/8" engineered, 8-5/8" wide, with a 4mm wear layer and a UV Lacquer finish.
Foggia shares the deep, rich tone, wire brushing and 8-5/8" width, with random lengths up to 7' and most pieces at 7'. Walnut on the parlor floor gives a brownstone a warm, formal base for original moldings and marble mantels. See our American walnut post for more on the species.
Natural Oak: Charme and Pienza
Charme is European oak with a natural tone and a wire-brushed texture, character grade, in 8-5/8" planks up to 7' long with a UV Lacquer finish. Character grade includes knots and natural movement.
Pienza has the same natural tone but in a wider 9-1/2" plank, with a Matte UV Urethane Aluminum Oxide finish. Natural oak suits a garden level kitchen and family room, where light is often limited and a warm, lighter floor helps. It also sits comfortably beside exposed brick and original pine joists.
Grey and Deep Tones: Pavese and Pergola
Pavese has a modern grey tone with wire brushing, 8-5/8" wide in random lengths up to 87", finished in Matte UV Urethane Aluminum Oxide. It suits a renovated top floor or a rear extension with a cleaner, more contemporary feel, especially where large new windows bring in more light.
Pergola offers a deep, rich oak tone with the same finish and length. It can bridge between a walnut parlor floor and lighter bedrooms above, keeping the house coherent from stoop to roof. Seeing all three tones together on samples makes the sequence easy to judge.
Want Nova walnut and oak samples for your brownstone? Call (908) 232-6600 or book a virtual consultation.
Why Engineered in a Brownstone
Every Nova floor is engineered with a 4mm wear layer, and the product pages describe the wide plank construction as built for stability. In an older row house, where floors may have been patched over a century, a stable engineered board is often the safer choice for wide planks.
Engineered boards can also go over the concrete slab many garden levels now have, and over radiant heat where it has been added. We review subfloors and heating with your contractor first. Our guide to questions before installing is a good checklist for that conversation.
Planning a Floor by Floor Scheme
Many brownstone owners use one tone on the public floors and another in the bedrooms. Because the Nova floors share a format and wear layer, mixing walnut and oak from the same collection keeps thresholds and stair nosings simple. Our light versus dark guide can help you decide which goes where.
Samples are the final test. Brownstone light changes from the front of the house to the back, so we suggest viewing each tone in both. A virtual consultation with photos of each floor helps us suggest the first three to try.
Quick Answers
How wide are Nova planks?
Most are 8-5/8" wide, and Pienza is 9-1/2".
What wear layer does Nova have?
A 4mm wear layer on engineered construction.
Which Nova floors are walnut?
Sarabelle and Foggia, both with a deep, rich dark tone.
Is Nova pre-finished?
Yes, in UV Lacquer or Matte UV Urethane Aluminum Oxide depending on the tone.
Plan Your Floor
Renovating a brownstone in Park Slope or nearby? We can send Nova samples and help plan tones floor by floor with your contractor.
Call (908) 232-6600, email joe@hugginsflooring.com, or book a virtual consultation. Browse our collections: Herringbone, Chevron, Wide Plank, Parquet.
About The Author
Joe Avila has worked in wood flooring for 26 years. He is NWFA certified (CSI, CI, CWFI, CFS) and teaches NWFA continuing-education courses for architects, designers and flooring professionals. Luxury Wood NYC, a Huggins Wood Floor Specialist brand.
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