Usually, selecting the direction of your wood or vinyl plank flooring comes down to personal preference. The way your floors are laid out can affect the entire feeling of the room, making it feel larger, smaller, busier or calmer. But at the end of the day, the layout doesn't typically impact performance or quality.
Flooring is typically installed in the same direction of your leading source of natural light, and the same goes for luxury vinyl. If you have large windows in a living room or an entryway that allows a flood of natural light, then run your planks in the same direction.
Vinyl plank flooring was designed to install in one direction but it is still possible to install it backward. When doing so, you either have to modify the tongue and groove or be prepared to work slowly and perhaps have some waste.
A laminate floor becomes a unifying influence in the overall decor if it runs in the same direction throughout the house. The best direction generally depends primarily on the shape of the house; it should run parallel to the longer walls.
Follow the Light
In traditional design, flooring is usually installed following the direction of the main light source. If there are big windows or an entryway contributing streams of natural light, install floors in the same direction as their source.
The tongue is the side that you will want to place against the wall as you start your laminate-flooring installation.
Because the plank's locking system is designed for the tongue to go into the groove and not the opposite, a tapping block is usually needed to force the plank together. When you are working backwards you will be hitting the tongue with the tapping block and the tongue is really easy to damage.
There is no wrong or right way to lay your laminate floor in a certain direction. It often depends on your design preference and what you feel seems to have the most sense. At the end of the day, you can lay them in whichever direction you feel is right.
Wood floors should always be laid perpendicular to floor joists—across rather that in between them. This will make the floors structurally sound and will help prevent the planks from separating, sagging or buckling. So, there is no right or wrong way to lay your wood flooring.
When placing wood floors in multiple rooms and a connecting hallway, the boards should all be directed away from the main entrance to the hall, and adjoining rooms should continue in that same direction.
The best direction is based on the shape of your house. There is no right direction, but the more accepted rule is that the floor direction should run parallel to the longer walls, but long hallways are exempt from this rule.
Strip flooring can be installed in any direction in any room, however the convention is to run parallel with the longest wall in most situations. Rarely is this type of flooring run perpendicular to walls in a hallway.
The tongue on laminate flooring is the small flat edge on one side of the board, this is the top edge that is going to angle and lock into the bottom side of another board.
Set the first plank in place on the starting line with the cut side toward the wall, maintaining the expansion gap.
Heat and cold are the primary reasons for separation. The vinyl plank flooring can expand and retract depending on how hot or cold the room is. When it is incredibly warm outside, and the room is hotter, you will notice the flooring will be a tighter fit because of expansion.
If you are only installing vinyl planks in a single room, you will want to install transitions at the doorways. Transition pieces give a clean appearance where one kind of flooring meets with another.
The big question is, should flooring be the same throughout the house? The quick answer is YES! Using the same flooring throughout ties rooms together, improves flow, makes the home seem larger, simplifies cleaning and maintenance, and is often easier on the budget.
We often work with homeowners who feel the urge to pick a different flooring for every room of their home, but there is absolutely no need to do this. Your home will look best if you create one consistent look that travels from room to room. Avoid contrast.
Between two rooms utilizing the same flooring material. While you may be able to get away without a transition strip in these spaces, using one can better allow for expansion and contraction over time. This is particularly important with wood plank, vinyl plank or tile materials.