I have two different wood floors I would like to install in a 9.5' x 10.5' room in the house. One is BR-111 3" solid Tigerwood and the other is Tembec 4" Clear Maple. Since I do not have enough boxes to fill the room with just one wood I am planning on using both.

I am planning on running all the floors perpendicular to the joists. My plan is to frame the Tigerwood with the Maple. I would like to start with 3 rows of the maple. Then start putting down the Tigerwood in the middle as a 6' x 8' interior. On the sides of the Tigerwood I would run the Maple, then once I get to the end of the Tigerwood run, run the maple from wall to wall. Basically I would border the Tigerwood with maple but all the wood would run perpendicular to the joists.

Any advise on these plans?

The tongues and grooves may not match because you are using two different brands so I would check that to ensure they will fit together. I am not sure how pleasing an appearance to design you are describing will be. Perhaps lay the wood loosely to get an idea if you like it's appearance. Another option would be to alternate rows; one maple, the next Tigerwood, then back to maple, etc. And if you did it this way, consider running it on a diagonal. Personally, I'd prefer mixing the two together over separating them with a border. Just my opinion.

Gary,

I like your idea. I was thinking about installing the floors one Maple, one Tigerwood but perpendicular to the joists and not diagonal in the room.

Any info or good sources for diagonal install?

Thanks,
Arjun

Diagonal installs hide out of square walls, and door jambs become less of a hassel. Not that much more difficult, just takes more time and material. But I like to have two saws set up each on the opposite angles, to speed things up.

Diagonal installations look very custom, for minimal effort.

What is the best way to start a diagonal install? How do I find my 45 degree angle? Top nail the first board or blind nail?