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Direction of floorboards.

"Rule of thumb": go with the light.

In fact it is quite simple and logic - where ever there's the most light coming from should direct the direction of your floorboards.

Light has a very visual effect on how your end-result will look - going with the light will bring out the grain and character of any wood type much better than 'going against the light'.

When your floor has bevelled edges going against the light could cause 'false shades' making your floor look 'staggered' and your eye-mind connection can even 'stutter' when viewing the room from one end to the other - as if every pronounced by the shade line is a fixed point where your minds-eye 'pauses' before moving on to the next board etc.

But it is not a rule set in stone - sometimes the specific dimensions of a room asks for a different approach, like conservatories. Then it is best to install so aesthetically pleasing as possible - and make sure the bevels of your boards are not too pronounced (none or micro-bevels would be the best option).

Thresholds between areas/rooms - Yes or No?

Mostly: yes - with floorboards (solid or wood-engineered) treat every room separately and install (wooden) thresholds in between. Every room has its own climate - a hallway is normally colder than your lounge or 'next-door' dining room which you don't use often.
With design parquet different 'rules' apply.

Another rule of thumb concerning 'open' areas: as long as the opening is at least 3/5th of the wall in between you can treat the area as one.

The most important rule of thumb in connecting areas like the one above:
make sure you have one type of underfloor - see our articles on the very subject:
Type of underfloor is type of underlayment
One type of underfloor

Under construction - soon to be updated with more 'rules of thumb' and pages per room/area type with guidelines on floor-types and even interior design tips.

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