Installing wood floors direction

Oddly shaped rooms or those that open off narrow hallways may not lend themselves to flooring laid along one continuous line of sight; a thin wood strip can be installed to define the threshold where flooring changes direction. A way to avoid transitions or to create a nice impactful visual statement, consider laying your wood floors in a diagonal or herringbone pattern throughout your house.

Running your hardwood planks from your main entrance toward the opposite wall will help simplify the sightline and makes the room appear less busy. 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. Choosing which hardwood floor direction is more a matter of personal taste and the layout of your space. Our design consultants are equipped with the knowledge to guide you through the wide selection of products we offer, and our expert installation team is professionally trained to make sure everything gets installed the way you envision. If you have any questions, please email us. Forgot your password?

Enter your email address and we'll send you instructions on how to reset your password. Skip to content. Now Hiring! Herringbone Hardwood Floor Direction Photo courtesy of Armstrong Flooring In the herringbone pattern, wood planks are laid in a diagonal kind of zig zag pattern. Diagonal Hardwood Floor Direction Thornbury European Oak Hardwood in Alveston, available at Avalon Flooring This direction will add a touch of elegance to your space without drifting too far away from the traditional straight direction.

Random Hardwood Floor Direction Random pattern installations offer a straight-forward, parallel design, however, they involve a mixture of boards that are different widths. Parquet Hardwood Floor Direction This flooring pattern is the laying of wood planks in a repeated geometric pattern.

Room Focal Points Acacia Hardwood in Feather Grey, available at Avalon Flooring To get the most pleasing or dramatic impact, your planks should be laid in the direction that leads the eye to a certain focal point of the room—like your lovely fireplace or other big architectural details.

Light Sources Your light sources in your room should also be considered, like how the light falls between the boards. Floor Joists Another thing to consider is floor joists.

Sightlines Running your hardwood planks from your main entrance toward the opposite wall will help simplify the sightline and makes the room appear less busy. Structural Considerations Wood floors should always be laid perpendicular to floor joists—across rather that in between them. Because if your planks are run perpendicular to the light source, the light will run across each individual joint and any slight variation in the height of the boards will show up and cast a small shadow.

Running your wood planks in the same direction as the light source eliminates this problem and results in a better looking floor. Typically, hardwood floors are laid in a straight pattern. To achieve this look, planks are installed parallel to each other along the length of your room. Classic and stylish, this pattern is tried and true, and works with virtually any design aesthetic. A straight pattern can also lengthen the look of a room. In most homes, if you run a straight pattern lengthwise from your front door all the way to the back it will make your hallway appear longer as opposed to a horizontal pattern running across which may end up looking like a ladder.

If your room is more narrow, you might opt to run your flooring horizontally — making the space appear larger than it really is. Installing your flooring horizontally will draw the eye from side to side, creating a greater perception of space.

In the traditional herringbone pattern, wood planks are laid in a diagonal zigzag pattern. Herringbone is one of those classic looks that will never go out of style and makes a statement in just about any space.

There are a couple of things to consider with this option. Due to the complexity of the design, you will want to make sure that your installer is experienced in creating this type of pattern. A vertical pattern is also easy to install, even as a DIY project.

Again, horizontal vs. The horizontal pattern is natural and easy to install, just like the vertical pattern. You should choose horizontal for rooms that are not deep from the entrance to the back wall. This pattern will draw your eye from sidewall to sidewall instead of front to back, balancing the shape of the room.

Like the first two patterns, this one lays all the boards parallel to one another. The difference is that instead of running the boards parallel to either wall, they are cut and installed at a degree angle relative to the walls. This flooring style is a little more visually interesting than vertical or horizontal patterns. It can be a good option in odd-shaped rooms.

It will also work magic in a large installation that goes through doorways into multiple rooms. A degree diagonal installation, on the other hand, will look great in both narrow hallways and rooms of any shape. The drawback is that they become much more difficult to install than the first two patterns. You will have to be especially careful on measuring and cutting your starter from the corner to make sure you get the angles just right.

This flooring pattern brings a look of extra luxury to your hardwood floor. Two boards are laid next to each other at a degree angle to form a V shape. Pairs of boards then lay parallel to continue the V shape throughout the room. This flooring pattern is like the diagonal method because it will not draw attention to the shape of the room.

Instead, for this pattern, the flooring itself will be the center of attention. A herringbone floor, while difficult to install, is one of the surest ways to add class to a room. This hardwood flooring direction does tend to create more waste because the cuts need to be more precise, so you will pay a little more for materials.

The parquet method creates a checkerboard appearance on the floor. It is done by forming a square of planks of the same length and butting it against an identical square that is rotated 90 degrees. The alternating squares cover the whole surface of the floor, mixing both vertical and horizontal patterns.

Parquet ranges from small, 2-inch boards forming squares as small as 8 inches up to large squares 3 feet made of wide planks.