Is there a "wrong" direction to lay laminate, wood?

Question

I bought laminate and was going to install it myself and the store recommended installing the planks parallel to the front door because the bedroom door cuts would be easier for me to do as a novice. But now my tile installer has offered me a good price for installation of the laminate so I think I'm going to have him do it instead of me. In terms of looks is there one way that's preferable to the other? As you open the front door there's a long hallway that goes back to the bedrooms. Thanks.

Jon Holdman · Answer

Wood flooring is indeed typically installed perpendicular to the floor joists to give better structural support.  Not sure that's as important for laminate.

I've just installed about 625 feet of laminate in a rental.  My advice is to either rent or buy a electric jamb saw.  When you're cutting the laminate, you leave gaps for expansion at the ends and sides.   Against the walls you cover these with quarter round.  Where this is a mess is around doors.  Inside the doorways, cut the door jambs (the piece the door closes against) off and put the laminate under the jambs, tight with the sides of the door frames.  On the sides of the door, you will usually have some type of molding that runs vertically along the sides.  The baseboards come up against this molding.  Along the baseboards you leave a gap and then cover it with quarter round.  That doesn't work with the door molding.  I recommend undercutting it, and a bit of the baseboard.  Then cut the laminate so it slides under the side molding and under the end of the baseboard.   Cut at an angle so no gap shows and the laminate is flush against the door frame on the narrow (door) edge of the molding.

Here are some pictures:

This is your starting point with a wall and door frame (white), baseboard (yellow), and frame molding (red).

If you just make a simple cut with the spacing (blue is flooring) slide it in place and put on the quarter round (green) you'll have an ugly gap around the frame molding.

If you undercut the frame molding and a bit of the baseboard, then cut an angle into your flooring, it will slide into the cuts you've made and avoid this ugly gap.

Chris Calabrese · Answer

Yup, what Kenneth said.  In general, lay the floor in the direction of the longest wall in the room (unless you're on a wood subfloor, and then lay across the joists).  It will make the room look bigger and result in fewer cuts.  Jon's advice about moldings and undercutting the jambs is spot on, and will make your job look professional.  Whatever you do, take some time to get that first row straight and square, as it sets up the rest of the room.

Mark Yuschak · Answer

There actually is a wrong way to the flooring installation.  You'll want to make sure that the strips of flooring run perpindicular to the floor joists.  Structurally, that will give you the most support.

Kenneth Smith · Answer

If I can just chime in here. I have laid some laminate in the past and fully agree with Jon's explanation.

In Florida, especially Orlando and South, the floors are more likely to be concrete, where the direction is more important with how it will look. If you install perpendicular to the front door and continue that through the hallway,IMO, you'll have a lot of waste because of the numerous cuts that will be needed with every plank in the hallway.

Account Closed · Answer

When I bought my home 11 years ago, my husband, my father and I installed laminate flooring on the entire second floor. Back then it was the glue-on type. Today they just snap in place. You could easily do it with a little help.

Remember to read all instructions especially the maximum room/floor size. I saw a 5-year old house where they covered the entire full basement with laminate flooring and the floor toward the middle began to buck and gap because it was one large continuous area. Also they used cheap materials so the floor was also peeling and cracking along the seams. Try to get the best quality you can afford because it will make a difference a couple years!

Michael Stole · Answer

Good replies, folks.

I heared of two theories. One is that flooring looks better if it runs in the same direction as the main light source, for example from a main window. The other is to run in the same direction as the room where you put the flooring.

Good pictures and instructions from Jon on how to install flooring around a door or wall frame. I hope I have known this before I installed the engineered flooring in my current house. I cut the flooring to the shape of the frame moding, and push it against the moding, instead of sliding underneath it. There are a lot of cuts which are unnecessary, and you can not avoid the gaps which look ugly.

Bienes Raices · Answer

thanks for the great responses, especially Jon, for the diagrams...I'm having this installed because I got a great installation price and I'm going to watch for part of it so that I can do it myself in the future.

Is there a "wrong" direction to lay laminate, wood?

Most Popular Reply