Which Direction To Lay Vinyl Plank Flooring?

Vinyl plank floors in homes are a cost-effective, attractive, and low-maintenance option that has recently grown in popularity. The floors in your house make a huge impact on the design, so you want to make sure you make the right choices regarding installation. Therefore, in addition to choosing the best color and pattern, you also need to know which direction to lay vinyl plank flooring.

Install vinyl plank flooring to run the length of the room or go with the flow of the light. If you have a significant focal point in the space or frequently used entrance, you can lay vinyl planks toward it to help guide the eyes. Laying vinyl plank flooring on the diagonal can help make a small room feel larger.

If you’re about to install new floors, make sure you plan appropriately, so you get the look you want. Laying vinyl plank flooring in the best direction for your space ensures you get the most appealing aesthetic.

To put it bluntly, yes, it matters. Vinyl plank floors look best when they run the length of the room or with the flow of light.

Of course, they’re your floors, so you can install them any way you want. People even put vinyl plank flooring on walls and ceilings, but there’s no denying some directions look better than others.

How you lay your flooring will directly impact your space’s overall design and scale. Laying vinyl plank flooring in the same direction as the longest room dimension helps maintain flow and a sense of openness. In contrast, laying it perpendicular to this direction would likely make the room seem smaller and off-balance.

However, if the room has a ton of natural light pouring in, you might consider running flooring in the direction of the light. If a major focal point in the room draws the eye, some homeowners decide to run the floors toward it. This way, the flooring moves in the same direction as the viewers’ eyes instead of working against it.

Since hallways are typically long and narrow, you would install vinyl plank flooring lengthwise in the hall. This direction maintains a good flow and makes the most sense with how people would walk up and down a hallway.

However, if you have vinyl plank flooring throughout your house, consider how your hallway connects to each room. If your main living space flows directly into the hall, running your floorboards across the hall’s width might make more sense instead of lengthwise.

This is especially the case if the flooring ends up laid the same way in the individual rooms. Otherwise, use transition strips between each room and the hallway if you need to lay the floors in a different direction.

In a square room, there’s no longer side to dictate your flooring direction. Therefore, first assess the lighting. If there’s significant light, run your vinyl plank flooring in the direction of the flow of light.

If there isn’t a lot of lighting, natural or otherwise, consider the flooring in the room or hallway you enter from. If it’s the same type of flooring, run it in the same direction to maintain balance.

If it is not the same type of flooring, use a transition, and run flooring perpendicular to the main entry for the room. In other words, as you walk into the room, the flooring continues on forward instead of cutting across your path.

Lastly, you can choose to lay vinyl plank flooring toward a major focal point in the room, like a fireplace or built-in bookshelves. Another option would be to lay the floors diagonally.

Another direction to lay vinyl plank flooring is on the diagonal. Laying vinyl plank flooring diagonally has a few advantages.

It can make a room feel larger, so it’s a good option for small spaces. Diagonal installation can also add extra visual interest to your design.

But keep in mind that installing a floor diagonal requires more material and creates more waste. This drawback is because when you cut the plank, you can’t always use the remnants as-is. You must first cut the edge at the proper angle to match up with the walls and other planks.

If you have steps, your flooring should go horizontally or lengthwise along the tread or step. The same goes for the risers if you plan to have them match. You’ll need to measure your steps and risers and cut the vinyl to match for installation.

To avoid a jarring transition, you should also lay the floors from the steps horizontally. But, you’ll have to look at the big picture and decide which will make the most sense for your house as a whole. If you’re really stuck, your contractor, designer, or flooring installer might be able to offer suggestions specifically for your home.

Installing new floors is a big project, so you want to make sure to get it right the first time. Many people get several flooring samples of colors and patterns to test out in their space to choose the best look. But it’s equally important to test out the direction of the flooring.

Before you make things permanent, lay out several planks to play around with different looks. Try them horizontally, vertically, and diagonally and see how each looks makes the room feel.

See how the floors look alongside other flooring in the house, between rooms, with and without transitions, etc. Also, test out your looks during the day when natural light floods the room. It’s better to take more time in this stage of the process, so you don’t change your mind when it’s too late.

The best direction to lay vinyl plank flooring is parallel to the longest room dimension for the most appealing look. You can also run floors in the same direction as the light flow. The latter is a good solution in square rooms or spaces with lots of light coming in from the windows.

Another option is to lay flooring diagonally, which makes small spaces feel larger. Try to install the floors in the same direction between rooms. If you have to lay them differently, use transitions to help ease the contrast between the two spaces.

The best way to ensure you get the perfect look with your floors is to test out samples in various directions first. Do a dry run by laying out planks without installing them.

Try different directions to see which makes the most sense in your space. Also, observe how the floors work during the daytime when natural light enters the room. Once you’re sure of the best look for your home, you can begin installing your new vinyl plank flooring.