Hardwood Flooring Direction Joists

While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines.

Hardwood flooring direction joists.

The preference has always been installing perpendicular to the joists as it provides stronger support for the floor going over it. The most common way to lay install hardwood flooring is by aligning the planks parallel to the longest wall or run in the installation. If the subfloor is stiff enough there is no reason why solid nail down strip flooring can t be run parallel to the joists. The direction in which you install hardwood flooring boards is dictated by several factors which we will cover in this segment.

Factors such as visual aesthetics structural integrity and the installation method should all be considered when installing your new hardwood flooring. However if you have 3 4 plywood or osb you can change the direction. In most homes this means running the planks lengthwise straight away from your front door all the way to the back. I agree that if you have less than 3 4 of you should definitely run the flooring perpendicular to the joists or at a 45 degree angle.

Is it possible to install a hardwood floor 2 1 4 3 4 oak strips in the same direction as the floor joists over diagonal planking sub floor in a 50 year old house. The floor joists are what support the subfloor. Most flooring installers will lay the flooring parallel to the long length of the room to avoid the ladder affect. While this is not required it is something to think about.

If you are working on a house that has a wooden subfloor the first thing that you should consider the direction of the floor joists. In most cases you should try and go perpendicular across the floor joists to allow the boards to span the gaps and be supported by them. If you go with the direction of the floor joists the weight of the wood floor could cause the sub floor to sag over time. First renail the existing plywood subfloor so that the old nails are tight and add new nails to achieve a maximum nail spacing of 6 inches.

Apart from a few exceptions like sagging joists this is the preferred direction to lay wood floors because it provides the best result aesthetically. Experts have always been aware of the effect floor joist direction can have on the performance of solid 3 4 inch hardwood floors. When the floor is not completely level it can cause the wood flooring to buckle and the joints could crack. Visual congruity usually requires the boards to run.