Perpendicular Wood Floors

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.

Perpendicular wood floors.

Therefore you should consider going perpendicularly across the floor joists. Many installers will lay hardwood over one layer of 1 2 in. Before starting calculate the width the last row will be. Subfloor as long as it s plywood and the hardwood direction is perpendicular to the floor joists.

By way of explanation as you walk into the foyer the floor will be installed perpendicular to the front door threshold. If you go parallel with the floor joists you will not have support under some portions of the wood. Install hardwood floors perpendicular to the floor joists parallel to the longest wall leaving a inch expansion gap around the perimeter. Glue using liquid nails and screw the floor down every 10 12 inches square.

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. We chose to add a second layer because some of our flooring runs parallel to the floor joists. Installing them parallel creates the possibility that the floor will sag. Flooring experts recommend installing flooring boards perpendicular to the floor joists in a house with a plywood subfloor.

You are good to go. Sight lines and aesthetics. If your sub floor is a concrete slab you can run the floors in any direction you prefer. This can eventually lead to the subfloor sagging in between the joists.

For aesthetic reasons i would like to run 3 4x3 inch oak strip flooring parallel to the floor joists instead of perpendicular as is typical. Join the ends of the boards over a floor joist where possible avoiding joints that form an h. When hardwood floors are installed parallel to the joists they will sag squeak and gap. In these cases the conservative choice is to go perpendicular across the floor joists and allow them to support the new floor as well as the sub floor.

Choosing which direction to install wood floors is often a confusing choice for many. If you re laying your new floor in an older home that has a plywood sub floor the first thing to consider is the direction of the floor joists that support it. If you really want to run the hardwoods perpendicular to the windows and your floor doesn t meet our recommend specs you could glue and screw a half inch of plywood to the existing sub floor. The floor joists under the wood floor hold the sub floor in place.

The subfloor is 3 4 inch tongue and groove plywood. Is there any reason i can t do it.