The floor joist run parallel to the length of the room and i would like to lay the hardwood lengthways not perpendicular to the joist installing hardwood over laminate my home was build just 5 year old and now i want to install a hardwood floor in our kitchen.
Does lamiante flooring hve to perpendicular to joists.
A flooring contractor howard brickman responds.
If the subfloor is stiff enough there is no reason why solid nail down strip flooring can t be run parallel to the joists.
Most directions recommend running laminate flooring perpendicular to floor joists.
Some people say laying the laminate perpendicular to the joist will provide some structural support and help prevent future squeaks.
Flooring experts recommend installing flooring boards perpendicular to the floor joists in a house with a plywood subfloor.
That said some times it s not possible to do this.
There are also tools you can use to measure the deflection or flatness of the floor and of course you can also hire an engineer to come inspect the floor joists and sub floor to calculate deflection and grading.
This provides added strength to the floor and helps cut down on bowing in the laminate.
This can cause laminate or engineered flooring to pull apart slightly allowing moisture to enter through the cracks.
Just make sure the subfloor is flat and the proper thickness e g.
Others say that the laminate isn t stiff enough so it wouldn t.
The real reason for this is because there is over time a slight give between the joists.
Most manufacturers recommend that you run the flooring across the floor joists.
Some houses have the shiplap on a 45.
If the answer to either of these questions is yes then you will want to lay the hardwood planks across the floor joists in a perpendicular fashion.
I guess you wouldn t have to lay it parallel but the shiplap has a lot more movement then plywood or osb.