Flooring design question

[fstbttms]

I am installing a laminate floating floor in my sunken livingroom this weekend. The adjoining dining room will be done at a later date. My wife and I are debating the proper orientation of the flooring planks. I say the planks in the livingroom should be oriented east-west and the planks in the dining room north-south. My wife thinks both rooms should be north-south. Those of you with experience, what do you say? Bear in mind that my drawing isn't very proportional. The longest dimension of the livingroom is actually east-west.

 

[diversteve]

My sister once told me when I was considering this that it shouldn't look like a bowling alley when you walk in the door...

I also think you may want the same orientation for both rooms.

 

[luckydays]

It really does not matter which way you do it but most common would be in this drawing, East/West since you said the walls E/W was longer. Less Cuts on the boards and you will be able to lay more boards length-wise. But it really does not matter.

You could also just consider laying the boards parallel to the door that you are going to enter the room from. I can't see where you will enter your dining room from and I will assume that you enter the LR from the dining room. If you enter the living room from the DR, the boards should go N/S, if the door is on your north wall the boards would go E/W.

But what ever you do decide, make sure that your D/R and L/R match when the project is complete. Good luck, not the hardest home improvement project but it ain't changing a light bulb either.

 

[fstbttms]

Maybe I should've mentioned that there is no wall dividing the two rooms. It is essentially one large room with a vaulted ceiling. You can step down into the livingroom from anyplace along the eastern end of the dining room.

 

[luckydays]

Then definitely go north south with the boards. When you do the DR later, the boards might not match up end to end if you go east west. Or it will be a big pain to get them to match up.

Additionally, you might want to start at the drop off so that way if your room is not square, the angle will show by the walls (easier to hide with trim and furniture) instead of where the two spaces meet.

 

[Dsix36]

When I did my floors, I asked a lot of questions of the manufacturer and the sales reps. The one thing that they all agreed upon was that the boards should run the same direction that you are walking when you enter from a door (to the outside, such as the front door of your house). This way they do not tend to make the room look small, but actually seem to increase the size. I know it all an opical trick, but it works. I laid a crapload of boards out in both directions to see for myself. They were right.

The other thing, if no front door is there, is to run them the same direction as the largest amount of external light is entering the room (follow the light from the window).

 

[scubastaci]

My husband does floors for a living. You can do them both the same direction and it looks fine, but it looks great when you can run them in different directions. What we did in our house was run a threshold in between the rooms so the seperation was more defined. They actually look more like separate rooms this way. You walk in and you walk with the direction of the boards. The rooms to the left and right run perpendicular to the foyer and the living area runs with the foyer. It also makes it a lot easier when you are not running the rooms at the same time, then you don't have to worry about matching up joints.

 

[irishsquid]

Laying them in diagonally would be a PITA, but; would look really nice.

 

[redrover]

Photos would be good, too much depends on what one sees entering the space.

Horizontal lengthens space, looks important for the dining area seems very long and narrow.
Change in flooring should be a smooth transition when moving from rooms parallel entering the living?
The change in elevation step should not be too smooth in appearance however as it is unseen and missed.

While a true pita to lay I would consider diagonals. Looking to widen where narrow and draw the eye unconsciously outward. Still provide again subtle, awareness of the step as well as blend the two spaces together.

 

[fstbttms]

Decided to go with my wife's preference- north/south both rooms. Whaddaya gonna do?