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.
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.
You should not change the direction of hardwood flooring between rooms—the reason why is that it causes visual disharmony. Placing hardwood flooring in the same direction that follows your space is best.
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.
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.
Hardwood flooring must be installed perpendicular to the floor joists or on a diagonal for any single layer subfloor. To run parallel to the joists, you'll need to add a 1/2” plywood underlayment or brace every 16” between joists with a nominal 2”x 6” SPF nailed in place.
The goal is to make the boards start about 1/2″ from the exterior wall on both the back side and edge. Since the wall was out of square, this varied as much as 1/2″ along the perimeter. In every hardwood installation, you should leave 1/2″ expansion joints between the flooring surface and the exterior wall.
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.
Floorboards are almost always laid at 90 degrees to the joists. The wall below must be running parallel with the joists meaning they cannot be sitting on it.
Many home experts agree that the floor color should be darker than the walls. The rule generally applies because lighter walls and a dark floor make the room seem larger. Most homeowners prefer a spacious looking interior. However, the rule can change with low ceilings.
It is perfectly acceptable to use multiple styles of flooring throughout your home from room to room. Typically, living rooms and bedrooms are carpeted from wall to wall. But, you can successfully enjoy bedrooms with floors that are different from common areas and other rooms.
Matching your kitchen floor with the rest of the house can create a nice consistency, but laying a different floor can make the kitchen a unique area with better durability. You have to consider both the floor's color and the material. It is generally best to use flooring that can withstand the kitchen's environment.
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.
Here is where you should place transition strips in a doorway: Transition strips should be placed in the center of the door opening where the opening is the smallest. In this placement, the transition strip will not impact the door's ability to close regardless of which way the door swings.
Dawn Wilson, Keller Williams: “Most buyers prefer hardwood. For selling purposes, it is better to have hardwood. If there is not hardwood in the home already, and it is cost prohibitive to put hardwood in, then in most cases, new carpet should be put in prior to resale. Buyers like tile flooring in the bathrooms.
When it comes down to finding the best flooring to increase home value, it all boils down to your market. Hardwood will likely give you the highest return, but laminate and luxury vinyl plank flooring also offer plenty of perks to buyers.
Hardwood floors are one of the best flooring options for homeowners looking to increase the resale value of their home, with hardwood typically yielding around a 75% return on investment.
A choice of timeless hardwood floor colors
Brown Maple floors have hues of rich gold, amber and brown. Cherry floors feature a burnished auburn color that will darken over time. Hickory offers hues from lighter blonde sapwood to cocoa brown and beige heartwood. Red Oak comes in deep, salmon tones.
A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to "open up" the space above. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors.
The first place to start is in the lowest point of your house. This will either be the basement or the first floor. In any case, the aim is to locate what is known as the lower concrete slab. Next, look for walls that feed directly into the foundation – these are the load bearing walls.
It's not always easy to tell which way floor and ceiling joists run. For floors, they will typically run across the shorter width of the room. With ceilings that have rafters, they typically run parallel to the rafters.