Flooring Same Direction As Joists

The correct direction for laying hardwood floors.

Flooring same direction as joists. Common sense tells you that large floor joists can carry more load and spacing joists closer together also increases the load bearing capacity of a floor. When many joists are installed next to each other and a sub floor like plywood is nailed on top they create a large floor area called a floor system. Most flooring installers will lay the flooring parallel to the long length of the room to avoid the ladder affect. For example you can follow the direction of the main or most frequently used entrance of the room.

Apart from a few exceptions like sagging joists this is the preferred direction to lay wood floors because it provides the best result aesthetically. Exceptions can be made with the use of additional subfloor use to strengthen the existing subfloor. If your sub floor is a concrete slab you can run the floors in any direction you prefer. The general rule of thumb is to install perpendicular to the floor joist doing so will allow the flooring to keep its structural integrity if the joists sag.

However if you have 3 4 plywood or osb you can change the direction. So if you re redoing the floors in the foyer run the planks in the same direction as the front door. While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines. It s like a mini bridge that s only supported at each end.

I agree that if you have less than 3 4 of you should definitely run the flooring perpendicular to the joists or at a 45 degree angle. Hallways should aim to have planks running in the same direction. How joists support floors and ceilings joists the horizontal members that span two walls and or beams have to carry the weight of the walls people furniture appliances and other stuff we place on them. Sight lines and aesthetics laying the hardwood flooring so that it runs from the main entrance of the room to the opposite wall is the best for sight line.

Floor joists are used to support a floor over an open area like a basement crawl space etc. When hardwood floors are installed parallel to the joists they will sag squeak and gap. When a load is applied to a joist the wood fibers along the bottom edge go into tension and those along the top go into compression fig. But larger is not always better when builders are constructing a home or adding a room addition.