Installing Hardwood Floors - Which Direction?

If you’re installing new floors (or even tile), Kim shares a simple formula to help you make a confident decision on which direction to run your material.

We are currently remodeling our house, and decided to start with the floors. We will be removing popcorn ceiling, old carpet, and demo’ing the kitchen. Stay tuned for updates!

In our next video, we’ll share the hardwood flooring we selected. For now, Here’s a sneak peak - I can’t wait to share more on this innovative company:

The owner of Steller Floors will be joining me to talk more about his invention to make installing hardwood floors more flexible!

Also, for business owners out there:

the latest tool I’ve been using to help expedite drawings is the ASUS ZenBook Flip S, powered by Intel® Core™ i7 Processor. The touchscreen laptop has a 360 hinge allowing it to switch from laptop to tablet mode. With the stylus and White Board feature I’m able to draw anything on the spot, saving time and loads of paper!!

[dlc]

Thank you for this! You make the decision so clear and easy with the "XO" solution.

[akinakinyemi]

Thank you. You helped me make my decision

[carola]

Thai video is so useful and she is so cool. Thank you

[ikesims]

Awesome!!!! X and O did it for me. Perpendicular to my floor joist too.
Thank you!

[fredericdudley]

The joists will usually run perpendicular to the long walls of the house to keep them short, (shorter is stronger). Consequently the nail down flooring will run parallel to the long wall and perpendicular to the joists.

[weekendwarrior]

I like how easy that tile came off - it definitely wasn't installed correctly.

[Miami_tree_house]

Always diagonal, It looks the best every time! Waste isn't an issue if you have a great installer.

[amandabradley]

This is awesome! We have an old Queenslander (Australia), and have had no idea how to transition floors from the old and the new. This has now shown me what I can do!

[machumak]

Thanks, I did it just as you explained, phew 😅🤸🏽‍♂️

[paulstein]

Will have uniclick LVT professionally installed in a condo. Shotgun in that upon entering, you are looking at the rear patio door 35 feet away. Obviously, a front to back run. However, just 3 feet to the right, upon entering, is a galley kitchen. That would result in a chopped up look. Since it’s LVT uniclick, the direction can’t be changed. The minimum width in the rest of the condo, is 15 ft. Going across, horizontal, would give the galley a good look, while the rest of the condo is wide enough to take the horizontal lay. It also gives a cozy look, where the end of the family room, has an 8 ft patio door, and the horizontal planks would look best at that point. To, me, laying the planks straight down from the front to the back patio door reminds me of a stairway to nowhere. That wouldn’t be the case if the end point was a wall, but it’s an 8 ft glass door.

[bdhdhdvbahsgs]

Definitely perpendicularly to the floor joists

[MagicUnmasked]

What if the room is a split level? I have a lower living space with an upper dining/kitchen that is only separated by 6 stairs and a banister, but the lower space runs with a long focal point, and the upper space would have a short focal point in a rectangular-ish room.

[nspetlover]

How do you join the transition between the larger room to the smaller room that has the different color floor and different direction? I am changing direction and i dont know if I can cut plank ends to blunt in the hallway and them remove one edge groove of the plank in the other room which will be laid lengthway in another direction. Then butt blunt ends and blunt side together in the doorway and join with glue and strong carpet tape underneath? I dont want a regular transition strip to stub my toes on

[richardlug]

Personally I would always run the flooring the long way in a room that is long rectangle no matter where the focal point is in the room the short way looks to me like ship lap on the floor. With that said unless you are laying the hardwood on a cement slab the boards should run perpendicular to the floor joists no matter the shape of the room. Well that is the way I always understood was the best way.

[cupcakepaper]

Do you use a transition flat piece to each room OR blend flooring?

[steelerStrTalk]

Question my front door opens into main living area, but directly to left of the Front door(5’ x3’ entry space) is the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Almost an L-shaped which way do I lay my tile floors?😅

[kimwells]

So since I have a long L shape, for the big room which consist of living room, dining room, and (the short part of the L) kitchen I would run my hard wood from the front of the living room to the backdoor in the dining room. This would also be the same direction I would run the floor in the hallway, long ways. Am I understanding you correctly? Help, please.

[northcanton]

Thank you for the information. I want to run the same flooring throught the house. But my kitchen-hallway and combined living-dining areas has an L-shape. It starts from and entry door you see 26" long 5.5'W hallway with line kitchen along the wall than the hallway murges into the living - dining room area with a modern wood stove and patio doors on both sides of it. So it's kind of complicated to decide what direction to run the floor. Any suggestions? Thanks a lot

[pearlhall]

In all your examples you x and o was on opposite walls. What happens when your x and your o are on adjacent walls?

[gtibollo]

Whats brands of 3.25 inch prefinished hickory do you recommend? Have you had experience with Maine Traditions flooring?