Which Direction To Lay Laminate Flooring In L Shaped Hallway

Installing it length wise makes the hallway look longer which is what everyone seems to want.

Which direction to lay laminate flooring in l shaped hallway.

It is really critical to know a few good tips about how to install laminate in a hallway before you get started. Today we have options such as laminate flooring and engineered wood floors which don t expand dominantly in any one direction so there really is no need to stick with any one direction. It s not a terribly wide hallway so the boards will have to be cut to 40 and 36 in length s. Another consideration is to determine which direction to lay the laminate in the hallway.

If you have a width wise open concept run the flooring parallel to the longest walls. Most often i try to install it length wise opposed to side to side. However the most natural looking direction to lay a wood floor will always be along the length of a room and its all down to the history and natural characteristics of solid wood flooring. When deciding the direction to install laminate flooring you have to consider your space lighting and decor.

The manufacturer says not to have any cuts less than 16 inches. Laying it lengthways also seems to have an effect on the durability of the panels. The angle of the turn at the corner of the l shaped room doesn t really matter because you can cut the hardwood pieces at matching angles in order to continue the pattern around the other section. Lay the first course of flooring along the wall that forms the inside of the l follow the wall keeping a gap of 1 4 inch between the flooring and the wall to allow for expansion of the flooring material and extend this course past the wall all the way to the opposite perpendicular wall.

So my advice is to lay the flooring perpendicular to the joists in the room and hallway and if that means having it run in different directions for the two just cover the space in between up with a transition strip in the doorway like a t moulding. I have broke this down to make this as simple as it can possibly be. If you re installing your flooring on a main floor you will want to float the floor in the same direction throughout all of the rooms to create a cohesive feel. Here are a few tips to help you decide.

The best way to decide is to lay out the floor and visualize what looks best. I have an l shaped hallway and really want it to go perpendicular to the walls not parallel with them. When laid lengthways the wear and tear in the panels are minimized. The sight lines of the floor and walls match making the hallway.

Laminate flooring down an l shaped hallway.