Taking the plunge and investing in hardwood floors is a big decision. There are so many options out there and just making a choice on which floor to go with can feel daunting. I went through this process during our renovation and landed on a wide plank European oak engineered hardwood. When the day comes and it is time to install the floor, the installer will ask you "which way do you want the floor to run?". If you have a raised foundation and floor joists, the decision will be made for you because the floor must run perpendicular to the joist to provide proper support. But, if you have slab on grade, which many houses have these days, you will have to make a decision and I wrote this blog to help you make an informed decision!
There are 2 options: 1) You can run the floor perpendicular to your front entrance (side to side); or 2) You can run the floor parallel to the front entrance (planks running longways drawing eye forward). Option 2 is the most common, but during this process I learned there are three things to consider before making this decision.
1. DOES YOUR HOUSE HAVE A LOT OF NATURAL LIGHT?
If your home has a lot of natural light, the direction of the light is important and can impact the look of your hardwood floors. It is best to run the floor in the same direction as the main natural light source (if this is an issue) as it will make the floor the most visual appealing. If you run the floor in the opposite direction of the natural light, it is more likely to show the imperfections of the boards. Any height differences in the boards will cast a shadow.
2. DO YOU HAVE A FOCAL POINT?
If there is focal point like a fireplace or large window with lots of light in the home you can lay the floor pointing the boards in the direction of the focal point. This will lead the eye to this focal point and draw attention to this architectural feature which enhances the space.
3. WHERE IS YOUR LONGEST WALL IN THE HOUSE?
A final rule of thumb is to run the boards parallel to the longest wall in the house to make the house appear larger. Although, there are exceptions to this rule as well if running the boards perpendicular will enhance the shape, flow, or layout.
In my home, this was a very tricky decision which is why I thought writing this blog could be helpful to others installing plank style flooring. It would appear that I should clearly run them parallel to the front entrance as they would follow (#2) and (#3) of the considerations above, but I found this decision was slightly more nuanced. My house is long and narrow. Standing at the entrance to the home you can see all the way to the end of the house. The previous plank vinyl flooring was laid parallel to the front door so your eye immediately traveled straight ahead to the back of the house. I felt like this actually drew attention to the fact the house was very narrow.
FLOORING FAUX PAS (Don't Make This Mistake!)
Interestingly, they decided to then change the direction of the floor and run it the opposite direction. I am assuming this was because it was better for the flow in this space, but this is a HUGE no no!! Please do not ever switch the direction of the same type of flooring in an open space like this, all the flooring should run the same directions even through narrow spaces like hallways. There are a few reasons for this: 1) See the image below where they had to add a trim piece to change the direction of the floor becuase it created a seam that had to be hidden which is unecessary and a trip hazard in middle of this room. 2) It is not asethetically beautiful, confuses the eye, and chops up the space making it appear smaller.
DECISION TIME: OUR FLOORING DIRECTION
After much consideration and thought, I decided to run the planks perpendicular to the front door/entrance. I believe this gives the illusion that the house is wider and more spacious. Also, running them this way allowed for the floor to run parallel to the main natural light sources of the house (#1) which helps to make the floors more visually appealing.
I hope this blog helps you make the important decison regarding how to run your new plank flooring. Buying floors are a big investment and I wanted to provide some guidance that helped me greatly when I was making my decision. I am very happy with how the floors turned out and I hope yours turn out amazing as well!
Good Luck!
Brianna
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