- While you can measure a straight-lay pattern fairly easily since the wood will all end in the same way along the walls, diagonal patterns leave far more waste material. While you can reuse some of the cutoffs, you will be throwing a lot of it away. You should always order 15 percent to 20 percent more material so you have enough to finish the project.
- Any borders you are planning to include in your overall room should be installed prior to the rest of the diagonal flooring. This is because the borders follow the walls and should be treated as termination points, thus they should be cut and installed before anything else. You can install padding and moisture barriers throughout the entire floor area at the same time, but borders need to go in first to guide the diagonal pattern.
- Diagonal patterns always take more time throughout the entire installation. It takes more time to measure for the cuts, more time to make the cuts because you have to change the angle of the saw depending on which angle of termination you have against one side of the room and then the other, and the labor takes more time. For a qualified professional, this might only be double the time, but can take four or five times longer for do-it-yourselfers on their first project.
- If you decide to hire out for the labor rather than do it yourself, understand that the professionals you call out to bid on your project are always going to charge you more for the labor on diagonal patterns. It can be a few dollars per square foot more, or double the hourly rate and beyond. It all depends on the complexity of the pattern and the skill level of the professional. While a greenhorn might only charge $20 per hour, a master craftsman will charge upwards of $75 per hour and beyond.