The basic rule to remember for creating a strong stagger is that all planks should overlap by 6 inches or more. This means that the short joint between planks should be at least 6 inches away from the nearest joint in any adjacent row. This type of stagger will lock the flooring tightly together.
Staggering your planks is a crucial step to creating a beautiful and lasting room. Not staggering the seams of your floor can create a disruptive pattern that attracts unwanted attention to individual planks.
Herringbone Pattern
Both patterns are popular among tile floors as well as wood floors.
Staggering Floor Planks That are All the Same Length
To do this, start the first row with a full plank, install the row, cut the last plank to length and save the off-cut. Cut two more fresh boards to start the next two rows, but from the fourth row on, start using the offcuts from previous rows.
The most common way to lay hardwood flooring is by aligning the planks parallel to the longest wall. Apart from a few exceptions like sagging joists, this is the preferred direction to lay wood floors because it aesthetically provides the best result.
Overlap Wood Floor Planks by at Least 6 Inches
The basic rule to remember for creating a strong stagger is that all planks should overlap by 6 inches or more. This means that the short joint between planks should be at least 6 inches away from the nearest joint in any adjacent row.
Laminate flooring should be laid in a “random” stagger pattern. The remaining piece of one row should start the next row. Each piece must be 6 inches or greater. If the remaining piece is less than 6 inches, start the row with a full piece.
Plan each row in advance as you proceed to lay the laminate. Feel free to alter the plan to suit your personal preference, but always ensure the boards are staggered between 6 to 12 inches apart. Before laying your first row – be sure to measure the width of the room in planks.
Chevron is an inverted V-shaped pattern. The first use of this can be traced back to old pottery design in Knossos, Crete which dates back to the Bronze Age. This was also first seen as flooring in the 16th century in Europe. With its aligned pattern, the Chevron floor looks like a long line of straight arrows.
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.
“Staggered” refers to a pattern of installing the tile so that the tiles' natural shape is the edge of the area rather than the tile being cut to make a straight edge. This look embodies an “unfinished” style that is at once both casual and refined, with an opportunity to showcase the craft of tile installation.
If you don't stagger the flooring by more than 6 inches on every row, it will be unstable and may lead to damage later on. But on the other hand, a lot of flooring installers get a little too strict when they stagger their flooring.
Begin the first row of flooring by placing the planks with the tongue side facing the wall. Install the second plank next to the first by aligning the tongue into the groove and press the plank down to snap it in place. When you come to the end of the first row, cut the length of plank needed to complete the row.
Set the Spacers
The spacers keep the LifeProof vinyl flooring from shifting as it is being installed and come with the flooring. Start at the corner of the room. Set 1/4-inch spacers between the wall and the row of planks. Work left to right with the “groove” edge facing away from the starting wall.
If your hybrid planks are all equally sized, you might want to cut the first plank shorter so that you can stagger the planks. Cutting hybrid planks is easy – after measuring and drawing where you would like to cut, use a ruler and knife to score the plank through the top laminated layer.
Whenever you are placing wood flooring in a hallway or any long and narrow area, it should run in the direction away from the doorway.
Some threshold and transition pieces
For odd-shaped rooms, your contractor may suggest that you change the direction of the floors and use a transition piece or threshold in the doorway. However, the more you can keep your floors running in the same direction, the better the final product.
A chevron (also spelled cheveron, especially in older documents) is a V-shaped mark, often inverted.
This is just a small array of ways that you can use a chevron pattern in your home. It's a classic motif that never really goes out of style — it's just the specific renderings of chevrons that go in and out of fashion. Regardless, find one that works for your space and use it as much as you like.