Which direction should I lay laminate flooring?

Usually along the longest wall or towards the main light source, because joints show less that way. The comparison adds what the guidance leaves out: the waste and cutting each direction means in your specific room.

Does laying direction affect waste?

Yes, sometimes noticeably. In narrow rooms and rooms with angled walls the difference between along and across can be several percent of the floor. Diagonal lays almost always waste more.

Can I see a diagonal layout?

Yes. The diagonal card shows the floor at 45 degrees, and any other angle can be set exactly.

When is the comparison shown?

It appears with the Less waste and Fewer cuts layout goals, where the direction is a trade-off. The Balanced look goal centres the pattern instead, and the angle can still be set by hand.

Which way should the boards run? Compare every direction

The direction the boards run changes how a room looks, how many cuts you make and how much flooring you buy. The usual advice, run them towards the main window or along the longest wall, does not tell you what each choice costs in your room.

Floor Optimizer lays your floor in each direction, along the room, across it and on the diagonal, and puts them side by side. You see the pattern at each angle and which one wastes least or needs fewest cuts.

Compare directions

Free to try. No account needed to start.

In short: Floor Optimizer is a flooring layout planner that shows which direction to lay the boards and compares the waste for each direction. It lays every board in your real room and gives you the waste, the packs to buy and a board-by-board cut list.

How it works in Floor Optimizer

Draw the room and enter your boards

The comparison uses your real room shape and your real board size.

Pick Less waste or Fewer cuts

With either goal, the Direction cards appear: Along, Across and Diagonal, each previewing the pattern at that angle.

Pick one

Each card marks which direction wastes least or cuts least, flags problems like slim strips, and shows the best fit. The exact figures come with the full plan. Tap a card and the floor re-lays that way.

What it handles

Waste per direction

Running across a narrow room instead of along it can change the waste by several percent. The cards show which way wastes least before you choose, and the full plan gives the figures.

Cuts per direction

With the Fewer cuts goal, the cards compare how much cutting each direction takes instead.

Problems flagged

A direction that leaves a slim strip along a wall, or that does not fit at all, is marked on its card and explained in the warnings list.

Any angle

Along, across and diagonal cover most rooms. For anything in between, set a Custom angle under More options.

What is Floor Optimizer?

Floor Optimizer is an online flooring layout planner for DIYers and flooring fitters. You draw your room or whole floor plan to your measurements, enter the boards you plan to buy and pick a laying pattern, and it places every board in your actual room shape. From that layout it works out the waste, the exact packs to buy and a board-by-board cut list, so the floor is planned before anything is bought or cut. It runs in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone.

What it is: A browser-based flooring layout planner, cut list generator and pack calculator in one.
Who it is for: Homeowners laying their own floor, and flooring fitters quoting and planning jobs.
Materials: Laminate, vinyl plank (LVT), engineered and solid wood, and other boards or tiles laid in rows or patterns.
Rooms: Any shape: rectangles, L-shapes, angled walls, bays, curves and obstacles, typed to the millimetre or 1/16 inch. A whole floor plan can be split into rooms by walls, joined by doorways.
Patterns: Straight lay, running bond, random stagger, strip plank, herringbone, chevron, basketweave and windmill.
What you get: The full layout, waste percentage, exact pack count and cost, a board-by-board cut list, and a printable PDF install pack (the full plan comes with an unlock or Pro).
Price: Free to try without an account, with the layout preview and a sample of the cut list. A one-time payment unlocks the full plan for a room; Floor Optimizer Pro is a monthly subscription for every room.

Frequently asked questions

Which direction should I lay laminate flooring?: Usually along the longest wall or towards the main light source, because joints show less that way. The comparison adds what the guidance leaves out: the waste and cutting each direction means in your specific room.
Does laying direction affect waste?: Yes, sometimes noticeably. In narrow rooms and rooms with angled walls the difference between along and across can be several percent of the floor. Diagonal lays almost always waste more.
Can I see a diagonal layout?: Yes. The diagonal card shows the floor at 45 degrees, and any other angle can be set exactly.
When is the comparison shown?: It appears with the Less waste and Fewer cuts layout goals, where the direction is a trade-off. The Balanced look goal centres the pattern instead, and the angle can still be set by hand.