Laying Laminate planks - which direction?

[SproutsDad]

Your advice please on laying a laminate floor over the whole of my upstairs.
It is Baltiero Stretto, with a pronounced V groove click joint and therefore important to lay it running in the right direction so that the planking lays relevant to the whole upstairs floor. I prefer to feel that I am mostly walking down a very prominent planking, rather than across it.

No problems laying it but from doing just one room #1, a small L shaped room, I have decided to do the whole upstairs in it.
#1 on my photos and plan below. It lends itself to being laid widthways, see floorplan A.

I have started that room and like the flooring so much that I now will get more of it and am considering getting more and laying it on the whole upstairs. The old laminate in those rooms does not show the joint, but because of the vey noticeable V groove joints in this new one, I want to lay it the right way round for the whole combined area.

So I am now questioning if it should really be laid as shown in 'B lengthways direction' ?

B Lengthways.
There are about 5 short lengths in the doorway of room-1 that may make it look odd! However, laid that way Lengthways, it will look right for most of the upstairs, flow well from stairs, landing, through room 2 and into room 3. It will present lengthways planks seen when coming up the stairs and seeing it from the landing - see blue arrows showing main traffic areas.

I feel that looks best but your views and advice please, before I do a whole house the wrong way.

All advice and help much appreciated.
Thanks very much.

 

[stem]

You don't mention what will be under the laminate floor. I have T&G floorboards, and was told by a professional floor layer (if that's the right term) that the laminate should be laid perpendicular (90 degrees) to the existing floor boards, to prevent movement / separation of the laminate joints with the boards below. So, that made the decision for me.

 

[SproutsDad]

Thanks stem,
I also understood the same regarding the underfloor and the laminate being 90 deg to it.

All of my floor is 22mm chipboard 8' x 2'. Only the Room #2 shown on my plan is the old pine T&G. But between the underfloor and the laminate is the green fibre underlay board, that should stop any movement. The laminate is also a quite thick one so should hopefully help in keeping it all robust.

The bit in my plan that I feel is visually a bit questionable is the doorway to room #1. There are about 5 short planks just in the doorway, but that is the only thing I query about laying it in that direction - it could look a little 'bitty'.

I wouldn't be asking this if the laminate was normal discreet joints, but these V groove joints accentuate the lines, flow and layout, so I feel it needs to be right.

I would welcome the view of an experienced flooring man if possible on what you normally do?
Or do you even do each room individually without considering the flow and orientation - rooms at 90 deg to each other maybe?

I would be pleased to hear your views.

 

[Tigercubrider]

https://www.quick-step.co.uk/en-gb/...hat-is-the-best-direction-to-install-my-floor

doesn't really help when rooms are all done, and the light is from different directions.
Presumably running through all the doorways makes it tricky

 

[SproutsDad]

Thanks, I have tried to show the rooms in photos as best I can. The old flooring is still in place and some of the new laminate has been overlaid or already down, as shown in photo of room #1 which has been part laid.
That was the best direction for that room but will clash with the lengthwise approach which I feel works best for the rest of the house. I should have really startd in room 2 and worked outwards, but due to refurb of the house it hasn't worked out that way.

I think that your link to Quickstep, thanks, has largely confirmed what I prefer, the lengthwise approach plan B in my photos.

I would like to run through the doorways and keep the planks aligned, with a threshold strip across it, but alignment of the board joints - don't know how practical that is to do?


From Quickstep site .....

As a general rule, you will obtain the most attractive effect if you lay the floor lengthwise in the same direction as the main light source and in the same line as the most frequently used entrance. However, if there are several doors and windows in the room, you can opt for the direction that facilitates the actual installation.

 

[dazlight]

The laying the laminate the opposite direction is only really if the floorboards are in bit condition and are cupping.
In that case we would sand the high edges and maybe plywood it as most wood floors go the length of the room and mostly towards the main windows

 

[SproutsDad]

The laying the laminate the opposite direction is only really if the floorboards are in bit condition and are cupping.
In that case we would sand the high edges and maybe plywood it as most wood floors go the length of the room and mostly towards the main windows

Thanks dazlight. Sounds like you do this for a living?

Any chance you can please look back at the plan layout that I propose in the photo plan B above - Lengthways laying?
I am convinced that for the whole upstairs layout it is the right direction to lay the boards.

The only hesitation I have is the doorway area in Room #1.
That is the room I am starting with because the others won't be ready for 6 months.
I just want to know if those 5 or so short planks will look odd, which is a consequence of the rest of the upstairs rooms having laminate laid in that lengthways direction.
Your opinion on that please
Thanks

 

[motorbiking]

not a pro but i’d go with option B as it will cope with any level changes better between rooms.

Do you really have to walk through all your bedrooms to get to each room? I think i’d give up the study and move the bathroom

 

[John D v2.0]

Don't forget to check the limits on maximum area without an expansion gap. If you have too large area you'll need room for it to move around

 

[SproutsDad]

not a pro but i’d go with option B as it will cope with any level changes better between rooms.

Thanks, yes that is my preferred option as even with thresholds at each door it is the longest full run of boarding going lengthwise.
The few short bits in the doorway of Room #1 will probably blend in with the overall scheme.

Do you really have to walk through all your bedrooms to get to each room? I think i’d give up the study and move the bathroom

The semi house was doubled in size, those are old drawings and the study is now a large walk in closet /ironing room. Room #2 does function as a type of corridor to the other rooms, but it is our study and TV snug upstairs, it works very well. We could have done the usual thing when heavily extending of going for maximum bedrooms, and small for that, which would have meant taking a big chunk of room #2 for a corridor and making everything dark. But we went instead for large rooms and we use them to suit how we live.

 

[dazlight]

I’d go B mate
Won’t be a problem with the short planks. I’d but a joint in a couple of them. So not full planks across.

You could put this on the flooringforum.com if you want more professional advice

 

[SproutsDad]

Don't forget to check the limits on maximum area without an expansion gap. If you have too large area you'll need room for it to move around

Thanks, John. The longest run is 3.5m in all rooms apart from room #3 which is 4.2m. There is a 10mm gap and threshold strip at each doorway.

 

[SproutsDad]

I’d go B mate
Won’t be a problem with the short planks. I’d but a joint in a couple of them. So not full planks across.

You could put this on the flooringforum.com if you want more professional advice

Thanks, a few words but you have obviously been through what I posted and understood it.
- I had thought likewise about breaking up the short planks with a midway joint in every other one, does that sound ok?
- Also, the perimeter gap, I would like to keep it to a minimum for as small a quadrant/scotia profile as possible. Is 10mm ok, otherwise it feels like a massive void and profile to suit.
- I wish my skirting boards would come off easily, but I know they are put on with square brads on the old ones and hidden screws on the newer ones. The surrounding plaster is also 90 years old and likely to suffer in getting the boards off. But I suppose the price to pay for not removing them is the not too pretty 'tea tray' look of profiles/scotia << hate them. A flooring store locally had a profile like a mini-skirting board to attach over to the main skirting then paint the lot.

Any other suggestions please?

Much appreciated. I may also do as you suggest with the flooringforum
Thanks

 

[foxhole]

Should be laid inline with main light source .

 

[dazlight]

Are you doing breaks in the doorways.
Incizo quickstep doortrims are great for that.