What Direction Should Wood Floors Be Laid

Wood floors should always be laid perpendicular to floor joists across rather that in between them.

What direction should wood floors be laid.

In traditional design flooring is usually installed following the direction of the main light source. So there is no right or wrong way to lay your wood flooring. The most common way to lay install hardwood flooring is by aligning the planks parallel to the longest wall or run in the installation. Run it from the front door straight to the back of the house perpendicular to the front.

You want those boards to look like they are laid they way they are in a bowling alley all the way into the home through to the back. By way of explanation as you walk into the foyer the floor will be installed perpendicular to the front door threshold. Choosing which direction to install wood floors is often a confusing choice for many. If the room is not overly small floorboards that are placed vertically will work just fine.

Hardwood flooring layout which direction. Apart from a few exceptions like sagging joists this is the preferred direction to lay wood floors because it provides the best result aesthetically. In a nutshell the preference calls for running the flooring front to back as you enter the home. While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines.

This will make the floors structurally sound and will help prevent the planks from separating sagging or buckling. If you have a width wise open concept run the flooring parallel to the longest walls. If there are big windows or an entryway contributing streams of natural light install floors in the same direction as their source. Vertical flooring is the most common orientation for wood floors.

Visual congruity usually requires the boards to run. 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. If you re installing your flooring on a main floor you will want to float the floor in the same direction throughout all of the rooms to create a cohesive feel.