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.
The direction of your flooring boards has a huge impact on a room's overall appearance and can be a tough nut to crack. As a general rule, make sure to lay your floor in the same direction as the main light source in a room and in the same line as the most frequently used entrance.
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.
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.
The tongue is the side that you will want to place against the wall as you start your laminate-flooring installation.
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 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.
Generally speaking, you can install any type of vinyl plank flooring backward. Some manufacturers are going to be easier to install than others, but all of them can be installed in reverse. The real key is to work slowly and avoid as much waste as possible.
Laminate flooring manufacturers often require their floors to be staggered anywhere between 6 to 12 inches, some manufacturers even want more.
Typically, hardwood flooring should be placed perpendicular to the joists. However, you should avoid changing the direction of the floor in every room, as this creates visual disharmony. Instead, focus on installing floors in a direction that does the following for your space. Make the room appear larger or smaller.
When you're hanging drywall and installing new flooring, it's usually best to hang the drywall first and then save the floor for last.
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.
Place the first plank with the tongue side towards the wall, being sure to allow 1/8" for expansion. We recommend cutting off the tongue on this first row to avoid any problem with the expansion gap. Insert the second plank into the first at an angle pressing the short ends together; then press it down.
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.
Transitioning to a Different Laminate Floor
You simply change the boards in the middle of the doorway and continue the installation in the other room with the new flooring. The transition line looks best when it's under the closed door or lined up with the front edge.
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.
Installing flooring before your cabinets is the best choice for most hardwood floors. When professionals install floors then cabinets, it's easier to get everything to standard heights. It's also a safer installation process for your cabinets since you won't risk any damage to them as professionals install the floors.
Underlayment: Some types of flooring can be installed directly on top of the subfloor, such as vinyl flooring. Other types need a middle layer, called underlayment, such as laminate,carpet and tile.
Most people think that painting should be done first to prevent any spills from marring brand-new flooring. However, experts agree that new flooring should always be installed before you have any interior painting done.
When laying laminate flooring it is essential that you leave at least a 10-12mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor.
The rule of thumb that professional flooring installers follow is to stagger the end joint of adjacent rows by a distance equal to 2 or 3 times the width of the plank. That makes 6 inches the most common minimum spacing for 2- and 3-inch hardwood boards, but laminate planks are typically wider than this.
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.