Installing Glue Down Hardwood Floors - Page Three

You won't find many rooms or houses that are truly square. It's not uncommon to have differences of 3/8" and more from one side of a room to another. To offset the difference, always think which is the main visual point. Start your layout square to that particular wall or make adjustments where the differences will hide under baseboard or other trim used. Out of square is not an issue if the flooring runs perpendicular to that area. Parallel wall lines to the flooring direction is where we need to be square.

Many specifications will suggest starting your hardwood installation from the longest exterior wall. However we realize this will not be the case at all times especially for those installing a few rooms.

Which Direction To Install The Floor? Diagonal wood floor installation

For a more desired appearance it is suggested to run the flooring parallel the longest wall. Doing so always creates a larger room appearance. However, if we have hallways and other rooms this may not

prove to be the best idea. A lot depends on how you perceive things and what is more attractive to you. Generally, professionals will install the flooring the longest dimension of the layout. They have a better grasp on the norm and what is more visually appealing. In many cases the flooring will be installed front to back as you enter the home.

Other attractive layouts include diagonal installations, commonly installed at a 45º angle. Diagonal layouts provide a unique look not seen in many homes. Expect additional waste using this layout method or another 5-10%.

Changing Direction Of The Installation Change direction installing hardwood floor

In some cases a direction change may be preferred, especially if you have long hallways that spill into other rooms.

With directional changes the preference is to handle the transition without creating any vertical height differences. By way of explanation, we want to maintain a flow without one board being higher than another. By not doing so, premature wear and splintering can occur. For a simple change running perpendicular it can be as easy as connecting by tongue and groove. Let's say the finished area has the groove facing out. Simply insert the end pieces (with tongue side) into the groove and you have a firm connection. The new area is now connected and running perpendicular.

Things get a little different if you want the new to run off on an angle shown on the right. In this case the existing had the groove facing out again. However by cutting 45 degree angles on the new boards the tongues were lost. Grooves have to be milled by way of a router and slot cutting bit into the new cutoffs. Now we have two grooves and no tongues. This is where slip tongues (splines) come into play. More on slip tongues.

Go To: Adhesives. Getting Started
Back To: Glue Down Floors. Introduction

Related Pages:

• More On Layout. Which Direction To Install
• Installing Hardwood Floors On Diagonal