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Which direction should wood floors planks run

8 years ago

We are installing IVC Moduelo planks from our back door, into 2 bathrooms, 2 laundry rooms, kitchen, dining room and down a hallway towards the bedrooms. We are getting 2 different opinions as to which direction the planks should run. When I look at photos on Houzz I see them going both ways. If we run it the long way it is about 50' from the entrance door down the hallway.

Featured Answer

bossyvossy

8 years ago

Some people run hallway in one direction and rooms in diff direction for space definition

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Comments (8)

bossyvossy
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We installed in the direction of largest measurement in biggest room. In our case, the largest room was LONG, so we ran floor that way. Had the room been wider than it is long, we would hv run horizontally. Hope that makes sense. We also ran ALL rooms in same direction, for uniformity's sake. But I'm not sure there's a rule written in blood. I think it is what you find visually pleasing.
Beth Werner thanked bossyvossy
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The sun plays a big part in how our flooring looks. When you walk into our house, there is a huge hallway, approx. 9'W x 20" long that leads into the great room. The far wall in the great room is covered with windows, so when you walk in, you see the wall of windows ahead of you. The model of our house had the floor boards going the length of the hallway. We thought it looked like a bowling alley, so we asked that the floor be installed diagonally (with the strong approval of the builder's designer). At night the floor looks gorgeous...the diagonal takes away that long, bowling alley look. However, the daytime is a different story. The light from the wall of windows shines into the house and if you look at the floor, it looks choppy because you see where all the boards end and you also see every defect. Our floor is natural maple, so the edges where the boards meet are very noticeable. You no longer see the long line which I now believe would look better, at least in the daytime. So, sunlight does play a part because it does show every defect. I know tigerwood has a lot of variation so maybe it wouldn't make as much of a difference as it does in our house. So, the point of this entire ramble is to say that where the sunlight hits can be a factor.
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Is your house on a slab or on joists?
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We mostly have slabs here so joists aren’t a consideration. My instinct is to run left to right in the Pic, so you’re gping parallel to the longest wall in each room. The entry then doesn’t flow the rules, but if especially If you’re going to have a rug there, it won’t really matter too much. Then I was thinking about yoir layout and realized my sister has a similar plan, with open plan Kitchen/family room at the back of the house and had run the flooring side to side as well. And Im finding image after image that does the same.
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Are you planning to replace the rest of the house with the same flooring you are using now? If so, you should consider two things: (1) It may be difficult to find that flooring in another year or so. You may want to buy all the floor now, or to wait on finishing the living room until you are ready to do it all. It looks like you may have removed the living room floor already, so you might need to put something cheap down so you're not just on concrete for a yar. (2) If the rest of the house dictates that flooring run in a different direction than the living room, you should consider running all the flooring in that direction. Even if that gives you a mismatch while the overall project (the floors) is in process.
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gregmills_gw
8 years ago
What kind of subfloor are you installing over, and what method of installation are you doing?
Beth Werner thanked gregmills_gw
Beth Werner
Original Author
8 years ago
It is being installed over plywood and the installer is using glue down process. My husband is a carpenter and he said it should be installed perpendicular to floor joists. From what I can tell by other comments and photos it's more or less a matter of preference and the look you want. I'm just not sure if I want it to look like a bowling alley if we ran it the length of the house but then I'm not sure how it would look going the other way.
handmethathammer
8 years ago
I have heard as your husband said, to run it perpendicular to the joists. That is also the "rule" my floor installer followed. I am not sure how valid it is, but it makes sense. There is probably less movement in the floor boards when it is run with more support.
Beth Werner thanked handmethathammer
gregmills_gw
8 years ago
it should go across the joist if your plywood is 3/4" or less. If you want with the joists you need to add more plywood.
Beth Werner thanked gregmills_gw
User
8 years ago
I don't think the direction a vinyl floor is laid is going to impact the structural integrity of the floor, or vice versa. I assume your subfloor is sound. This is strictly a cosmetic issue. Lay some of the material out and get a feel for what looks better. As was pointed out, changing directions can define an area. Running the floor continuously will give more flow and a feeling of spaciousness.
Beth Werner thanked User
Vith
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I would go the long way with the hallway and continuous throughout. Having a hallway with the floor the wrong way just looks plain odd. If there is a separate room that is not continuous with that floor, then go the long way with that room. Example, a connecting breezeway with stairs to enter house is longer west to east, but inside the house there is a hallway and room that are longer north to south. You want to go long with the space however it applies.

Also the direction you lay LVP does not affect structure, you need a solid base for it anyhow.

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