Herringbone Flooring: A Pattern That Reads as Architecture

Herringbone is the pattern you notice second. The first thing the eye picks up in a room is the colour and the light; the herringbone is the rhythm underneath that, and once you see it you do not stop seeing it. It has been a feature of European interiors since the 1500s, and the reason it has lasted is mechanical, not aesthetic — staggered short blocks lock against each other better than long planks, so the floor sits flatter and the joints stay tighter over decades.

It is also a pattern that flatters a small room. The diagonal sightlines make a narrow space feel wider than the same room laid in straight planks. We get asked about herringbone roughly once a week, so this is the version of the conversation we have most often.

Herringbone vs. chevron — they are not the same thing

Herringbone is rectangular blocks laid at right angles to each other, so the ends meet halfway down the side of the next block. Chevron is the same idea but the ends are mitred at 45 degrees, so each row forms a continuous V. Chevron is more dramatic and more expensive to manufacture; herringbone is the workhorse pattern. If a flooring is sold as “herringbone” and the photo shows continuous Vs, it is chevron. The difference matters when you order accessories — chevron planks are cut as left-handed and right-handed pairs.

The three formats we sell

• Solid wood herringbone. The traditional version. Small solid blocks (typically 50 x 200mm or 70 x 280mm) glued or secret-nailed onto a screed or plywood base. Sands and refinishes for the lifetime of the floor.
• Engineered wood herringbone. A real wood wear layer (usually 3 to 6mm of oak) bonded to a stable plywood or HDF backer. Click-fits or glues down, less sensitive to underfloor heating, sands once or twice over its life.
• Laminate and LVT herringbone. Photographic image under a wear layer, click-fit. Excellent in kitchens and hallways where a solid wood floor would object to the moisture. The good ones are difficult to tell from engineered wood at standing height.

What it costs, roughly

Material price is similar to straight-plank for the same product range. Where herringbone costs more is fitting: the cuts are more numerous, the layout takes longer, and waste is around 8% rather than the 5% we factor in for straight planks. A good fitter will charge a 30% to 50% premium over straight-laying the same area.

Which rooms it works in

Herringbone earns its place in entrance halls, dining rooms, sitting rooms and bedrooms. It works in kitchens too, provided the format is moisture-resistant (engineered wood with a sealed surface, LVT, or waterproof laminate). Open-plan ground floors are where it is at its best — the pattern carries you through the rooms without the visual break that straight planks make at every threshold.

Where we tend to argue against it: long narrow corridors, where the diagonal pattern fights the geometry of the space. Straight planks laid lengthwise read better there.

If you are buying

Look at the wear layer thickness on engineered, the AC rating on laminate, the click system, and whether the supplier ships matched accessories (border strips, scotia, end-caps). We list those alongside every range. Browse our herringbone collection, or call us if you would like a sample sent before you commit.