How to Determine Which Way to Run Hardwood Flooring

Find out which way the floor joists run, by looking from the basement, running a stud finder along the floor or by consulting the house's architectural plans. Running floor boards perpendicular to the direction of the joists allows the joists to more equally support the boards.

Measure the dimensions of the space. Installing floorboards in the long direction typically creates uniformity, whereas installing floorboards against the long direction often obstructs the sense of flow through the room.

Locate the main entrance to the room. Create continuity by laying the floorboards perpendicular to the threshold. In this orientation, boards will run the same direction as the foot traffic going in and out of the space.

Assess the architectural feel of the room. For extremely "boxy" rooms, consider laying floorboards on the diagonal. Diagonal boards will add a contrasting, dynamic, directional flow.