I am doing a glue down installation of engineered hardwood on cement in my home. I have a master bedroom and living room that I will be laying down in and two small hallway areas that attach to these two rooms. I started the installation in the master bedroom on an outside wall that seemed to be the most square. Everything is going great, but as I approach the first small hallway that connects to the living room, I am a bit confused and would appreciate some help:

1) As I come through the hallway and out into the living room space I will be midway through the room. I would like the installation to be consistent throughout. Do I just work my way to a wall and hope it is straight? OR do I use a transition strip somewhere at the master bedroom door perhaps and start the living room on its own course of lay down?

2) This same hallway has an exterior door that goes out to the back patio. Do I just lay wood up to the exterior door and leave a small expansion area that I would fill with colored putty or caulk? I have read some who say to remove the threshold and wood underneath it? Just a little confused. I looked at some of the new installations in my neighborhood and the pro's put no expansion gaps at the doors and just butted it up as close as they could get it.

Thanks again for the help in advance!

I would have started in the hallway or livingroom first just to make sure the hall is straightest. But since your there I would work up to the hallway and dry rack out some straightest planks, snap a line out into the living room. If need be you can rip an angle off the groove side of the plank, rebevel it and router out the groove to fit and make it straight again. A little stain stick helps if you can find one to match or else play with some small cans of stain to match the bevel if there is one.

Thank you very much for the reply. I believe that I understand what you are saying, but I want to be clear. So you are saying that if it is not straight, that I would rip a slight angle off of one plank so that we could get back on track. Wouldn't it be real noticeable if you have one plank that has a different angle on it? Is this one plank best to be against a wall or out in the open? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to understand. I have done a lot of woodwork, but never on wood flooring. Thanks again for the help.

That's right, snap a line starting the line way out in the room, match the line with the flooring all the way through the hallway. this can be done on near the wall where you would start the next piece of wood.

You'll notice right away if your hallway is straight, cut your wood with the non straight edge towards the wall so your starting your next row square with the hallway.

You want to avoid a crooked line, stand back in the far room and look at the seam of the floor, does it look straight all the way through the hall into the other room?