[Startingover]

Installation next week. The flooring company asked me which way I wanted planks to go. I don’t know! they said normally it’s east to west. That would be going from living room to the hallway. I thought they’d go north to south.

most traffic is from living room to kitchen.

heres my amature layout.

 

[chandler48]

I would run it as the red lines indicate.

 

[Nealtw]

Same direction with big window in living room.

 

[Startingover]

I would run it as the red lines indicate.

Thanks
Everyone has planks these days but I never paid attention to direction.

 

[Startingover]

Same direction with big window in living room.

You mean the wall the window is in? That wall runs E to W.
Thanks.

 

[Nealtw]

You mean the wall the window is in? That wall runs E to W.
Thanks.

I agree with the installer.

 

[Startingover]

I agree with the installer.

They did daughter’s house. I’ll run over there tonight and look. Thanks. Anything will be better than my 40 year old vinyl.

 

[F250]

I may be the odd one out, but I an "either genuine hardwood or tile only" kind of guy, and after having genuine hardwood in a kitchen, I'll never live with that again!

Regardless, for directional preference, you can go either way, whichever suits you. E-W direction makes the plank lengths consistent with your described general travel path, but I expect there is equal travel time spent walking N-S as well while working or hanging our in the kitchen area. My personal instinct is the run the planks in the same direction as the longest dimension of the room (N-S in your case, by your sketch, anyway).

The question, though, is this... what is in the LR and the Hallway now? Planks, tile, carpet, etc.? If there is a pattern direction to either or both rooms, run your kitchen planks in a direction which compliments the other adjacent floor areas.

 

[Startingover]

I may be the odd one out, but I an "either genuine hardwood or tile only" kind of guy, and after having genuine hardwood in a kitchen, I'll never live with that again!

Regardless, for directional preference, you can go either way, whichever suits you. E-W direction makes the plank lengths consistent with your described general travel path, but I expect there is equal travel time spent walking N-S as well while working or hanging our in the kitchen area. My personal instinct is the run the planks in the same direction as the longest dimension of the room (N-S in your case, by your sketch, anyway).

The question, though, is this... what is in the LR and the Hallway now? Planks, tile, carpet, etc.? If there is a pattern direction to either or both rooms, run your kitchen planks in a direction which compliments the other adjacent floor areas.

No patterns. LR is carpet. Hall and laundry room beyond are old vinyl.

yes, amazing the time spent in kitchen. Sunday, cooking, I got 3,400 steps in the kitchen just going from sink to fridge to stove all day.

 

[Biscuits]

If you have some boxes of flooring at the house already, it would behoove you to test which direction looks the best.

Alternatively, if you know the direction the floor joists run, it might make sense to have the planks perpendicular to those to mimic how an authentic wood floor would be placed.

And FWIW, my floor runs north/south. I don't think there is a rule of thumb which way flooring is supposed to be orientated. Would it be the opposite in Australia?

 

[Nealtw]

If you have some boxes of flooring at the house already, it would behoove you to test which direction looks the best.

Alternatively, if you know the direction the floor joists run, it might make sense to have the planks perpendicular to those to mimic how an authentic wood floor would be placed.

And FWIW, my floor runs north/south. I don't think there is a rule of thumb which way flooring is supposed to be orientated. Would it be the opposite in Australia?

I don't think she was asking for the compass direction but just for orientation for her house
She could have asked about direction A-B or C-D, that kind of reference.

 

[chandler48]

Going across the window in the living room will throw shadows at every intersection of wood, and cause it to look choppy. I like the sideways as was marked. Less shadow showing.

 

[bob22]

I think parallel to the longest view of the floor from one end to another (if that makes sense).
Having boards going perpendicular to the walls of a hallway make it look like one of those rope bridges across a chasm. I think turning them along the long walls is visually more appealing. I think that is running them east to west in your diagram. My 2 cents.

 

[SW Dweller]

I sure hope you have the product in your home now so that it can be come conditioned to the temp and humidity in your home.

 

[Biscuits]

Going across the window in the living room will throw shadows at every intersection of wood, and cause it to look choppy.

I don't think that's true. I have a large picture window, southern exposure, and another large picture window western exposure. Both windows get A LOT of light. Flooring is parallel to the western exposure window. No choppiness.

 

[bob22]

I know my pre finished wood planking was to be installed perpendicular to floor joists but I didn’t for the visual effect. Might check your product warranty if not installed as per instructions that include relationship to floor joist directions.

 

[Startingover]

I know my pre finished wood planking was to be installed perpendicular to floor joists but I didn’t for the visual effect. Might check your product warranty if not installed as per instructions that include relationship to floor joist directions.

I’m in Florida, so no basements We’re all on slabs.

a 3rd cousin who is an interior designer, who’s quick to point out she’s not a ‘decorator’. sent a helpful message which accidentally got deleted. except for the part where she said, open the box and lay some planks out in both directions, and see which one looks best.

 

[JIMMIEM]

Another option is to lay the flooring on the diagonal. Nice, unique look. Look on-line for some examples. Takes more work and more wood but a nice look. If I had a do-over, I would do my house on the diagonal.

 

[chandler48]

open the box and lay some planks out in both directions, and see which one looks best.

Rest of the message won't matter, you got the best information you could right there.

 

[Startingover]

I sure hope you have the product in your home now so that it can be come conditioned to the temp and humidity in your home.

No. Maybe glue down vinyl planks don’t need conditioning. IDK