Laminate Flooring Direction

eagleandbaby

We are putting laminate flooring down in three rooms downstairs.

How should the floor be laid? It would look better in the all the rooms parallel with the longest side but then they would be not be the same direct in all the rooms.

Sorry for the drawing.

eagleandbaby

Is it OK to have the floor running one way in the kitchen and a different way in the other rooms?

gideond

you could but I don't think it would look so great to change the direction. If it were me, I'd run it the length of you longest rooms and continue it directly through the kitchen without shifting the way it runs.

PrecisionFloors

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Thats how I would run it, starting off the LR/DR back wall.

eagleandbaby

Thank you.

jcalvin

Might think about running it perpendicular to the floor joist, assuming you're downstairs isn't concrete. Got a call out on a job a while back and the "contractor" laid all the hardwood parallel to the joist and it is wavy as I have ever seen. It isn't like it has been wet but almost like the floor sags in between the joists.

eagleandbaby

Thanks again for the information. One more quick thing, the floor is concrete and the kitchen has vinyl sheeting in it that is glued well to the floor.

I am planning on removing it but just curious about if it would be ok to go over.

Teetorbilt

The seminars that I've been to recommend laying flooring in the direction of the light (think incoming from the windows). The other train of thought is the percieved appearance. A galley style kitchen will appear wider with the flooring laid from side to side or longer and more narrow laid end to end.

Unless this is a pretty small house you will want transitions at the entry's to the kitchen. I prefer to keep everything lined up (same direction and joints) but you can make changes at the transitions if it's going to goon up the next room.

It would be nice to put compass points on your drawing to show the suns direction.

eagleandbaby

Thanks again. The light is coming from three windows in each room from the shared wall of all of them and one window on the other end of the living room.

What do you think about going over the vinyl in the kitchen?