Which Way To Run Laminate Flooring

Older houses with 1 inch planks running.

Which way to run laminate flooring.

Depending on how you want to show your room you can choose the orientation of the laminate flooring panels. You want those boards to look like they are laid they way they are in a bowling alley all the way into the home through to the back. A laminate floor becomes a unifying influence in the overall decor if it runs in the same direction throughout the house. It is common to see the laminate or wood flooring boards running with the direction of the longest walls in a room.

Think of hallway flooring for a good example. Laminate flooring and space laminate flooring laid lengthways can have an expanding effect. In the same vein it s typically recommended that planks are installed parallel to the longest wall of the room. As a general rule laminate flooring should be laid in the same direction as the longest wall in the room.

Plan the next rows. Run it from the front door straight to the back of the house perpendicular to the front. If the room is narrow such as a hallway a corridor or a long kitchen planks should run the length of the room. Moving from right to left the last piece in each row will always be cut off with the cut off piece from the left shifting down to begin the next row of flooring on the right.

The best way to decide is to lay out the floor and visualize what looks best. If the room happens to be square the floor boards should run in the direction of the room s light source. If you have a width wise open concept run the flooring parallel to the longest walls. Laying the flooring parallel to the longest side of the room creates the most pleasing appearance and makes the room appear longer than it is.

If you re installing your flooring on a main floor you will want to float the floor in the same direction throughout all of the rooms to create a cohesive feel. The best direction generally depends primarily on the shape of the house. The rows of laminate planks should have a staggered sawtooth appearance so that seams never line up in adjacent rows. For example if you want a hallway to seem longer it is better to use the laminate flooring in the lengthways direction.

When deciding the direction to install laminate flooring you have to consider your space lighting and decor. The length of the flooring board will more often than not run with the length of the room.