Which direction should the floorboards run?

There is no single direction that looks right in every home. I begin with the main entrance and the view into the living spaces, then look at how the rooms connect. Running boards along a room's length may feel natural, but that is a design starting point rather than a rule for every installation.

Daylight, hallway width and the position of doors can change the effect. I like to place a few samples in both directions and look from the places you actually use: the entrance, sofa and kitchen. This makes the choice easier to judge than a small plan or a photograph of someone else's room.

The base and flooring system may also place limits on the layout. When installing over an existing timber base, for example, the product instructions can specify an orientation. Structural support and installation requirements come before a purely visual preference, so I check them before we settle on the finished appearance.

I also plan the first and last rows, doorway cuts and joins between rooms. An attractive central area should not leave an unnecessarily awkward narrow strip against the most visible wall. For herringbone or chevron, the centre line and pattern direction need a separate setting-out discussion rather than copying a straight-plank layout.

Send a floor plan, even a simple sketch, with the entrance and windows marked. If you have a preferred direction, show me that too. We can agree on a practical layout, including any required transitions, before work starts so that the decision is clear when the first boards are fitted.