Factors such as visual aesthetics structural integrity and the installation method should all be considered when installing your new hardwood flooring.
Changing direction of hardwood flooring.
Reversing or switching the direction may occur when the installation goes to other rooms and some areas may fall behind you.
Therefore the direction you lay hardwood floors in a new home is based more on aesthetic and design factors as opposed to the direction of the joists.
Also called backfill shown in the second illustration below.
The correct direction for laying hardwood floors.
While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines.
How to install wood flooring and change direction.
In these instances the hardwood floor planks are usually laid in parallel to the longest run or wall in the installation.
The direction in which you install hardwood flooring boards is dictated by several factors which we will cover in this segment.
The traditional way to run a hardwood floor whether you are working with a nailed down or floating format is to have the planks running.