Flooring directon

I have 700 sq feet of 3 1/4 inch read oak from Lumber Liquidators and have a question about install direction.

I have attached a diagram of my install area and am putting the red oak in the hallway and two bedrooms.

My joists run N to S My sub floor is 3/4 OSB covered with 3/4 inch tongue and groove plywood. Joists are 24" on center but many are doubled and the span is only 13'

I am trying to decide which direction to run the flooring. I know in the hallway it will look best running east to west but in the bedrooms the longest wall runs north to south so I am thinking it would look better running north to south in the bedrooms. That would be parallel to the joists and I have been reading conflicting information about weather it is a good idea to run parallel to the joists or not.

Should I just run it all perpendicular to the joists regardless of room dimensions or would it look better running parallel to the longest wall?

 

One dimension you left off. What size joists do you have? If that cuts the muster, then you should be fine installing it any direction you want. I know rule of thumb says perpendicular to joists, but generally takes into consideration only one layer of subflooring.

If it were me, I would run the hall way (both of them) EW.. Then transition the two bedrooms to the long wall dimension. You'll need reversing splines to accomplish much of the closet work, as well as the threshold transition.

You didn't say, but surely you aren't running into the bathroom, right? Tile, right?

 

Joists are 2x10's and no wood in the bathroom god no :-) Not sure what I will put in there yet but it will be something that can get wet.

 

Roger that. Looks like you are well on your way. Let us know if you need any help.

 

So just to make sure I understand you would go halls east to west and bedrooms north to south right?

 

I believe that's what I would do. You can turn the long hall next to the east bedroom at the intersection where the halls meet and continue into the east bedroom with the same direction, but it would be simpler to run the halls the same direction and the bedrooms in their own direction.