Which way to lay laminate

EASYBOY1

can you please give me some advice on which if any is the correct way to lay laminate flooring. been told it should be laid paralell to the light coming threw the window. does it really matter, and if so can you please tell me why. thank you!

WLM21

Fitting laminated flooring on the diagonal can look good, but it is much harder and using more board.

olias

No right way. Personal preference really, different ways can make the room appear narrower/longer/wider etc.

I'd just look at some images in google and see what appeals - maybe dry lay a section to confirm.

Olias

StuC75

Really a matter of preference, and in practice its what way reduces the number of cuts needed (e.g. run it the longer run of the room and theres less pieces to cut). Also if any tricky bits to cut round and deal with ... e.g. on a Doorway would you want 1 piece running across it or 5/6 ends butting up to it..

BillTrac

What is the shape of the room? If it's a long rectangle I tend to lay the boards running along the long side. Looks less 'bitty' that way. If it's a square room then I tend to lay the boards out temorarily to see what looks 'right'

keystone

You lay laminate with the long edges perpendicular to the window for exactly the same reason that you hang ceiling paper the same way. So you don't get shadows between the planks (or lengths of paper) when the light falls on the edges.

Laying laminate on the diagonal is not only wasteful it's also counter-intuitive IMO.

Cheers

jellie

My lounge is a rectangle with windows on one of the long sides. I had the laminate laid parallel to the windows. I dry laid a few beforehand, and it just didn't look right the other way round.

Jimmy_Neutron

jellie wrote: »

My lounge is a rectangle with windows on one of the long sides. I had the laminate laid parallel to the windows. I dry laid a few beforehand, and it just didn't look right the other way round.

My sister was having laminate laid and I advised her to do the same as you. She had one of the small walls of the rectangle as a feature wall (expensive wallpaper) and having the laminate laid this way drew your eyes along the floor to the feature wall.

olias

keystone wrote: »

You lay laminate with the long edges perpendicular to the window for exactly the same reason that you hang ceiling paper the same way. So you don't get shadows between the planks (or lengths of paper) when the light falls on the edges.

Laying laminate on the diagonal is not only wasteful it's also counter-intuitive IMO.

Cheers

But surely with modern expensive wood look laminate you want the shadows between the planks to give the effect of a real wood floor - some even have V grooves between them to accentuate this - otherwise it may as well be a sheet of wood patterned lino.

Olias

keystone

OP asked which was the proper way to lay it. I gave the answer. Whether he wants to lay it that way is entirely up to him - if he or anybody else wants shadows then they can have 'em. It doesn't alter the answer to the question that was asked.

Cheers.