0

I'm getting ready to install ~900 sqft of unfinished Brazilian walnut. The planks are 5" wide and 3/4" thick. Per the manufacturer guide, I plan on doing a 3/4" expansion gap on the perimeter and using baseboard plus quarter round to conceal it.

The lengths of my rooms run the same direction of my floor joists so I screwed down, with glue assist, a second layer of 15/32 plywood that staggered the joints of my first layer by at least a foot.

My question is, how do I ensure a seamless transition between the rooms? I want the flooring to be continuous and would like to not use transition pieces in the door ways. My concern is that I am almost certain my walls are not parallel and this will cause issues if I start in the right most room, snap a line on that exterior wall and start there.

Looking for advice on how to properly start the flooring and transition between rooms while keeping it all going the same direction with no transition pieces.

I've included a picture of the floor layout

enter image description here


Using the starting position as suggested in the reply. Its coming out nicely.

https://imgur.com/a/GkK4Pul

11
  • 1
    Believe it or not, you would start in the middle of the room
    – asinine
    Aug 18 at 19:10
  • I would probably close to the centre and work out. Measurements before are required to see how far out the walls are, but I would think less than an inch.
    – crip659
    Aug 18 at 19:10
  • @Ruskes That is good for one room, but OP is planning for the whole house as one floor room. OP is much braver than I am.
    – crip659
    Aug 18 at 19:13
  • @crip659 still the rule applies, and you are saying exactly the same
    – asinine
    Aug 18 at 19:17
  • @ruskes you believe I should start in middle of hallway? Like the center point of the two exterior walls on long side? Aug 18 at 21:17

1 Answer 1

3

What you propose to do is done by pro floor layers all the time. Transition strips are not needed unless there is a difference in floor levels. If it is all the same level, and presumably it is a nail down floor, going from room to room is just a matter of careful planning.

The typical starting place is the longest run in the building. You have 2 places to choose from the MBR and closet, or the hallway and the bedroom. I would start in the MBR and closet. It has a run that is the longest.

Use the long wall of the bedroom to set 2 marks that will allow a chalk line pass through the closet door and continue the chalk line into the closet to the far outside wall. Take your pick on which way you want to start the floor and run it. I would start with the major part of the bedroom and go into the bathroom, if that is your plan. This will get most of the closet done too. To change direction, use a spline glued into the groove of the floor you just laid. This will provide a tongue to start the floor the other direction. Splines will be needed in other rooms too when you go through the door s with the first piece and will need to backfill behind the lead piece going into the various rooms.

Unless you really like shoe mold, you can under cut the drywall and use that as part of the 3/4" expansion space so the base will cover on its own. A reciprocating saw and a 1" rip of material 2 or 3 ft long acting as a guide can make fairly quick work of an otherwise miserable job. Only complication there, is perhaps the drywall nails that are in the bottom plate, if any.

2
  • My op is a bit bad. I forgot I moved the door for the closet in MBR to enter through the bathroom because I installed pocket doors in all rooms and closets but hallway closet. So the longest run is the hallway to bedroom. I updated the floor plans to address this Aug 19 at 19:10
  • Yes that would be the case. Just a suggestion, if you do cut the drywall, or even if you don't, you could start the run 5" away from the wall if that line will get you around the door jamb, then you can backfill the piece and face nail it, using a spline only at the other 2 bedroom doors.
    – Jack
    Aug 20 at 3:52

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.