Hardwood Flooring Two Different Directions

The correct direction for laying hardwood floors.

Hardwood flooring two different directions.

For a general rule if its nail down hardwood flooring you actually should run it cross the length of your floor joist. Installing your floor this way is a general rule and common practice in installations. It gets tricky however if there is a door less opening between two rooms or you re working with a loft style floor plan then it s best to keep the planks of both floors running in the same direction to create harmony to the eye. How to lay hardwood floor in a contrasting direction.

For example the entryway area might have wood floors that are installed in a parquet pattern while the rest of the floor is installed in straight lines. If they are too similar in grain and color it can look like an unsuccessful attempt to match them. Hardwood floors can be laid in a variety of different patterns and plank sizes but the general idea is that they utilize a tongue and groove. If a door separates the rooms lay the flooring in either direction will work well.

In these instances the hardwood floor planks are usually laid in parallel to the longest run or wall in the installation. Designer karen sealy has great tips when it comes to transitioning your floors and introducing new panels. It can be tricky to use two kinds of wood flooring in the same house. They work together beautifully for a few reasons.

While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines. Parquet hardwood floor direction this flooring pattern is the laying of wood planks in a repeated geometric pattern. This pattern results in a hardwood floor with the appearance of a checkerboard sometimes with more complex patterns within each checkerboard square. But if its glue down or floating floor run it anyway you want also if you have a long narrow room run the wood in direction of shorts distance to make room look wider its a very good idea to chance the directions of the wood when you can it gives it a lot more unique look.

This home shows a beautiful use of two kinds of wood flooring. Therefore the direction you lay hardwood floors in a new home is based more on aesthetic and design factors as opposed to the direction of the joists.