I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

"brent" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

While the common wisdom is to place it perpendicular to the joists, there
are exceptions. You also want to consider the windows and how light will
run across the seams.

brent wrote:
I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou


Only know whtat I've read: I installed min perpindicular per the
instructions:

If you cannot place it perpindicular to the existing boards, you'll need to
lay a new subfloor. When Parallel, any lining up of any seams is likely to
cause squeaks, movement and possible separation or bowing during seasonal
weather changes.

brent wrote:
I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

Everything you need to know from the source...

https://www.nofma.org/Portals/0/Publ...d%20Floors.pdf

dpb wrote:
brent wrote:
I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

Everything you need to know from the source...

https://www.nofma.org/Portals/0/Publ...d%20Floors.pdf

I intended to add--

5/8" alone as the subfloor is almost surely not enough stiffness to be
satisfactory, however. Generally, one would have at least two 3/4" or
the 1+" T&G underlayment.

As for the aesthetics, you can judge that by laying some out loose to
see what you think. It certainly is in general true that stip flooring
is laid "long ways" in a room. As much as anything, it eases/speeds
the installation by minimizing cuts/fitting at ends. The more
rectangular the area, the more it makes a difference in that regard,
obviously.

dpb wrote:
As for the aesthetics, you can judge that by laying some out loose to
see what you think. It certainly is in general true that stip
flooring is laid "long ways" in a room. As much as anything, it
eases/speeds the installation by minimizing cuts/fitting at ends.
The more rectangular the area, the more it makes a difference in that
regard, obviously.

You lay the floor once, but look at it for decades. Which direction looks
better: floor aligned with the room's long axis or the room's short axis?

I guess if you covered the floor with throw-rugs, it wouldn't make much
difference...

HeyBub wrote:
dpb wrote:
As for the aesthetics, you can judge that by laying some out loose to
see what you think. It certainly is in general true that stip
flooring is laid "long ways" in a room. As much as anything, it
eases/speeds the installation by minimizing cuts/fitting at ends.
The more rectangular the area, the more it makes a difference in that
regard, obviously.

You lay the floor once, but look at it for decades. Which direction looks
better: floor aligned with the room's long axis or the room's short axis?
....

In general, aligned with the long axis is the way flooring is laid and,
therefore, it was what has become familiar and, therefore, "better".
I've seen rooms that owing to other considerations were laid
"short-ways" that looked perfectly natural that way. All I am/was
suggesting is OP look at his room and decide--and, if he's uncertain,
try laying some out and see. But, the "safe" way is to stay w/
convention, certainly.

On 26 Dec 2006 05:21:55 -0800, "brent" wrote:

I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

Tough choice.

I could get used to either direction as the floor is as it is.

So it really makes no never mind.

brent wrote:

I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

diagonal?

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Depending on the ratio width/length and the size of the room running
the "short" way
might look ok. It will definitely be stronger crossing the joists. I
considered running 45 degrees when I did my floor even though my joists
ran the preferred way and my room was narrow.

Wider planks might help but I don't know to what extent and then again
depending on room size they might make the room look smaller. For what
it's worth I wrote up my floor install notes notes on my personal
website (http://www.sawbee.com/rwmProjects/woodFloor1.html) This was
the first time I ever did a floor, so I may have missed some obvious
tricks...

Good Luck!
randy

CJT wrote:
brent wrote:

I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

diagonal?

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

"brent" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

Mine runs the short way and I have never thought about it til now.

hardwood flooring should be laid perpendicular to joists
otherwise when you sand and re-finish it, your floor will be wavy.
especially if you decide to re-sand it in the future

diagonal flooring would require joists to be 12" on center.




"dpb" wrote in message
ps.com...

brent wrote:
I am installing 3 1/4 hardwood strip flooring in my living room/dining
room.The room is a rectangle with the long dimension running from the
front of the room to the back of the room.My instincts tell me to lay
the flooring paralell to the long dimension but the floor joists also
run this way. There is 5/8 plywood ontop of the floor joists.Is this
enough support to run the hardwood paralell to the floor
joists?Also--what esthetic affect does it create to run the flooring
paralell to the short dimension? I am having a hard time visualizing
what it will look like if I install the floor this way.
Thankyou

Everything you need to know from the source...

https://www.nofma.org/Portals/0/Publ...d%20Floors.pdf