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Herringbone Flooring
Collection 10 min read

Herringbone Flooring

Herringbone is a pattern of short blocks laid at right angles to each other, and in our range it comes in three materials: 22 engineered wood block floors (20 oak and 2 American black walnut), 8 rigid vinyl floors listed as waterproof and 5 laminate floors. That is 35 herringbone floors on one page, in 7 block sizes from 80 x 300 to 126 x 630 mm, sorted by colour first and compared by material and block size further down. Chevron, the same idea with the ends cut at an angle, is counted separately: 2 floors in the parquet range.

Herringbone floors
35 in three materials
Block sizes
7 formats
Waste allowance
15% to 20%
Samples
£1.99 each
1/ 11
01

The pattern, in one paragraph

A herringbone floor is made of short blocks of equal size, each laid at a right angle to the next, so that the rows step across the room in a broken zigzag. The blocks are cut square; a chevron is the same idea with the ends cut at an angle so the rows meet in a continuous V. That one difference decides how the floor reads: herringbone is busier and more traditional, chevron more formal and directional, and the pattern is set along the longest view through the room, usually from the door towards the main window.

Because every block meets a wall at an angle, a herringbone floor produces more offcuts than a straight plank floor, and it asks more of the base underneath: an oak herringbone is glued to a flat, dry surface, block by block, from a centre line. That is why the manufacturers we can cite give 15% to 20% for the waste allowance where a plank floor takes 8% to 12%, and why the fitting guide linked below starts with a setting out drawing rather than a pack of boards.

See also
02

Herringbone by colour

The colour names are the ones each product listing gives. Light oak (6), dark and smoked oak (8), grey oak (6), white and whitewashed oak (3); the other 12 are natural oak, golden and walnut tones. A colour with 8 floors or more also has a page of its own, with the floors side by side.

Light oak (6)

03

Engineered wood herringbone: 22 oak and walnut block floors

The 22 engineered wood herringbone floors come from Oxford (16), Cambridge (4) and Amersham (2). Each has a real wood wear layer of 3 to 4 mm on a 14 to 18 mm cross layered board, in 5 block sizes: 80 x 300, 90 x 400, 90 x 450, 100 x 500 and 125 x 600 mm. Of these, 2 are American black walnut and 20 European oak. The finishes, as the listings give them: matt lacquered, invisible UV oiled, invisible matt lacquered, UV oiled, UV lacquered, hard wax oil and white oiled. The blocks are tongue and groove and are glued down, which is the construction a pattern floor needs over a heated screed, and a wear layer of 3 mm or more can be sanded back at least once. All 22 are listed for underfloor heating, and the manufacturer's warranty is 15 or 25 years, as each listing states.

ProductFormatWear layer / thicknessFittingUnderfloor heatingWarranty
Amersham Herringbone Smoked Golden Oak Wood Flooring 15 x 90 x 40015mm x 90mm x 400mm4mmTongue & GrooveCompatible25 Years
Amersham Herringbone Light Oak Wood Flooring 15 x 90 x 40015mm x 90mm x 400mm4mmTongue & GrooveCompatible25 Years
Cambridge Herringbone Cinnamon Oak 18 x 100 x 50018mm x 100mm x 500mm4mmTongue & GrooveCompatible25 Years
Cambridge Herringbone Pale Oak 18 x 100 x 50018mm x 100mm x 500mm4mmTongue & GrooveCompatible25 Years
Cambridge Herringbone Cottage Oak 18 x 100 x 50018mm x 100mm x 500mm4mmTongue & GrooveCompatible25 Years
Cambridge Herringbone Natural Oak 18 x 100 x 50018mm x 100mm x 500mm4mmTongue & GrooveCompatible25 Years
Oxford Herringbone Dark Grey Oak Wood Flooring 18 x 80 x 30018mm x 80mm x 300mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Grey-Brown Oak Wood Flooring 18 x 80 x 30018mm x 80mm x 300mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Dark Oak Wood Flooring 18 x 80 x 30018mm x 80mm x 300mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Natural Oak Wood Flooring 18 x 80 x 30018mm x 80mm x 300mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone American Black Walnut Oiled 14 x 125 x 60014mm x 125mm x 600mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone American Black Walnut Lacquered 14 x 125 x 60014mm x 125mm x 600mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Light Brushed Oak 14 x 125 x 60014mm x 125mm x 600mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Antique Brown Oak 14 x 125 x 60014mm x 125mm x 600mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone White Oiled Oak 14 x 125 x 60014mm x 125mm x 600mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Natural Brushed Oak 14 x 125 x 60014mm x 125mm x 600mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Whitewashed Oak Wood Flooring 14 x 90 x 45014mm x 90mm x 450mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Fumed Oak Wood Flooring 14 x 90 x 45014mm x 90mm x 450mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Dark Brown Oak Wood Flooring 14 x 90 x 45014mm x 90mm x 450mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Light Oak Wood Flooring 14 x 90 x 45014mm x 90mm x 450mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Oak Lacquered Wood Flooring 14 x 90 x 45014mm x 90mm x 450mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
Oxford Herringbone Oak Brushed UV Oiled Wood Flooring 14 x 90 x 45014mm x 90mm x 450mm3mmTongue & GrooveCompatible15 Years
See also
04

Rigid vinyl herringbone: the 8 BML floors

The 8 BML herringbone floors are rigid core vinyl (SPC): 6.5 mm thick, 126 x 630 mm blocks with a 0.55 mm wear layer, click fitted and floated over an underlay. All 8 are listed as waterproof, all 8 are listed for underfloor heating, and the manufacturer's warranty is 25 years. They are the herringbone for the rooms an oak block does not suit: the kitchen, the hallway, the bathroom, the utility room and a flat where the lease asks for an acoustic layer under a floating floor.

ProductFormatWear layer / thicknessFittingUnderfloor heatingWarranty
BML Herringbone Antique Smoked Oak SPC Floor6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone Invisible Oak SPC Floor6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone Smoked Limed Oak SPC Luxury Vinyl Flooring6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone Grey Oak SPC Luxury Vinyl Flooring6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone Vintage Fumed Oak SPC Luxury Vinyl Flooring6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone Light Oak SPC Luxury Vinyl Flooring6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone American White Oak SPC Luxury Vinyl Flooring6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
BML Herringbone European Oak SPC Luxury Vinyl Flooring6.5mm x 126mm x 630mm0.55mmClickCompatible25 Years · listed as waterproof
See also
05

Laminate herringbone: 5 click floors

The 5 laminate herringbone floors (Leicester, York, Whitby, Durham and Canterbury) are 12 mm HDF boards in 100 x 600 mm blocks, rated AC4 in their listings, click fitted and floated over an underlay. All 5 are listed for underfloor heating, and the manufacturer's warranty is 15 years. Laminate is not listed as waterproof, so it belongs in the dry rooms: a living room, a bedroom, a study. It clicks together like the vinyl, and it is the herringbone for a room where the pattern matters more than a real oak surface.

ProductFormatWear layer / thicknessFittingUnderfloor heatingWarranty
12mm Leicester Oak Laminate Herringbone Flooring12mm x 100mm x 600mm12mm thick, AC4ClickCompatible15 Years
12mm York Oak Laminate Herringbone Flooring12mm x 100mm x 600mm12mm thick, AC4ClickCompatible15 Years
12mm Whitby Oak Laminate Herringbone Flooring12mm x 100mm x 600mm12mm thick, AC4ClickCompatible15 Years
12mm Durham Oak Laminate Herringbone Flooring12mm x 100mm x 600mm12mm thick, AC4ClickCompatible15 Years
12mm Canterbury Oak Laminate Herringbone Flooring12mm x 100mm x 600mm12mm thick, AC4ClickCompatible15 Years
See also
06

Block sizes compared

The 35 floors come in 7 block sizes, and the size is the second decision after the material. A short, narrow block makes a tighter, busier zigzag that suits a hall, a small room or a period house; a longer, wider block makes fewer joints across the floor and reads calmer in a large or open plan room. The table counts every size in the range. There is no separate page per size, because a size is a choice within a range, not a range of its own.

Block, width x lengthThicknessWear layer / classFittingMaterialRangeFloors
80 x 300 mm18 mm3 mmTongue & GrooveEngineered oakOxford4
90 x 400 mm15 mm4 mmTongue & GrooveEngineered oakAmersham2
90 x 450 mm14 mm3 mmTongue & GrooveEngineered oakOxford6
100 x 500 mm18 mm4 mmTongue & GrooveEngineered oakCambridge4
100 x 600 mm12 mmAC4ClickLaminate (HDF)Canterbury, Durham, Leicester, Whitby, York5
125 x 600 mm14 mm3 mmTongue & GrooveEngineered oak, Engineered walnutOxford6
126 x 630 mm6.5 mm0.55 mmClickRigid vinyl (SPC)BML8
07

Which herringbone for which room

The room decides the material before the colour does.

Living room, dining room
Oak or walnut. The rooms that are seen, on a dry base, where a real wood surface earns its keep and can be sanded back later. Laminate where the budget decides.
Hallway
Oak for a period house with a timber floor; rigid vinyl where the rain comes in with the shoes and the base is a concrete slab.
Kitchen, utility, bathroom
Rigid vinyl, listed as waterproof, with the edges sealed to the fitting instructions and the slab tested for moisture first.
Bedroom
Oak for a floor to keep; laminate or rigid vinyl over an acoustic underlay where the room is above another household.
Flat with a lease clause
Rigid vinyl or laminate over an underlay with a tested impact sound figure, or oak blocks glued to an acoustic layer the adhesive is approved for.
Over underfloor heating
All 35 are listed for it. Oak and walnut blocks glued to a commissioned, dry screed; vinyl and laminate floated on an underlay rated for heating.
08

Ordering and fitting

15% to 20% over the room area
The waste allowance the manufacturers give for a pattern floor, against 8% to 12% for a plank. Order it with the floor, in one batch, because a later top up may not match.
Set out from the centre
A herringbone is laid from a centre line along the longest view, with a border planned so the cut blocks at both walls come out equal. The drawing comes before the order, because it decides the quantity.
Wood is glued, vinyl and laminate click
The oak and walnut blocks go onto a flat, dry base with the adhesive the fitting instructions name; over old floorboards that means a screwed down plywood overlay first. The vinyl and the laminate click together and float on an underlay.
Test the base
A hygrometer sealed to a slab: 75% relative humidity or below in BS 8203 practice before a resilient or multilayer floor goes down. A new screed dries at roughly a day per millimetre for the first 50 mm.
Let the packs settle
At least 48 hours in the room, flat and unopened, at the room's in service temperature, on the CFA's and the MMFA's guidance.
Heating commissioned first
Over underfloor heating the system runs through its full drying and commissioning cycle, about 21 days on the CFA's guidance, before any floor covers it.
See also
09

This page and the parquet category

This page collects every floor we sell as herringbone, whatever it is made of: wood, rigid vinyl and laminate. The parquet category is the wood alone, 27 products: 22 engineered herringbone blocks, 2 chevron floors and 3 Versailles panels. If the floor has to be real wood, start in the parquet category, where chevron and Versailles sit beside the herringbone. If the room decides the material, a kitchen, a rental or a budget, start here.

Herringbone (this page)
35 floors in wood, rigid vinyl and laminate, sorted by colour, block size and room.
Parquet
27 products, all wood: herringbone, chevron and Versailles panels.
Chevron
2 floors with the ends cut at an angle, in engineered oak. Not counted on this page.
Solid parquet blocks
9 solid wood blocks in the solid wood range. They are listed as parquet blocks, not as herringbone, so they are not counted here.
See also
10

What the published standards say

Published standards

Each entry is quoted from its source and linked to it. The full set is in the standards reference.

Herringbone and chevron — what the two patterns are

Herringbone is laid from rectangular blocks whose ends are cut square: set at right angles to each other and staggered, so that the end of one block meets the side of the next and the pattern reads as a broken zigzag. Chevron blocks have their ends cut at an angle - typically 45 or 60 degrees, depending on the manufacturer - so the ends meet on a continuous line and form a V. No published standard we could read defines the two patterns; the definitions here come from manufacturers and agree with each other.

Herringbone: angle between adjacent blocks90 degrees
Chevron: typical end-cut angle (manufacturer-dependent)45 or 60 degrees

“Herringbone flooring features rectangular wood planks arranged in a staggered zigzag pattern. Each plank meets the next at a 90-degree angle. In chevron patterns, the wood planks are cut at an angle, typically 45 or 60 degrees, so they meet in a continuous V-shape.”

Source: Havwoods - Herringbone vs. Chevron: Which Parquet Style Suits Your Space Best? · second source

Cutting waste — how much extra to order

There is no published industry standard for cutting waste; the figures come from manufacturers' own guidance and they vary. Havwoods advises 8-12 % wastage for planks and 15-20 % for patterned floors such as herringbone or chevron. Quick-Step's UK guidance for laminate is 5 % extra in a regular room and 10 % in a room with many angles or curves.

Wastage allowance, plank floors (Havwoods UK)8-12 %
Wastage allowance, herringbone or chevron (Havwoods UK)15-20 %
Extra to order, regular room, laminate (Quick-Step UK)5 %
Extra to order, room with many angles or curves, laminate (Quick-Step UK)10 %

“For planks we typically advise on 8-12% wastage and patterned floors, such as herringbone or chevron, may need 15-20% wastage.”

Source: Havwoods UK - FAQs: How Much Wastage Shall I Encounter For? · second source

BS EN 13489 — multi-layer parquet

BS EN 13489 is the product standard for multi-layer parquet elements, setting out their characteristics, requirements and test methods for internal use as flooring.

“This document specifies the characteristics, requirements and test methods of multi-layer parquet elements for internal use as flooring.”

Source: BS EN 13489:2023 - Wood-flooring and parquet. Multi-layer parquet elements

What SPC rigid core actually is

According to the Multilayer Modular Flooring Association, SPC stands for Solid Polymer Core, whereas WPC stands for Wood Plastic Composite; both are listed as alternative core-layer materials for multilayer modular floor panels, the SPC core being a solid polymer compound and the WPC core a wood-polymer composite.

SPCSolid Polymer Core
WPCWood Plastic Composite
EPCExpanded Polymer Core

“Core layers can be wood composites such as HDF or cork, but also polymer or polymer composite materials such as PFC (Perfluorcarbone), natural fibre-reinforced plastics, WPC (Wood Plastic Composite), EPC (Expanded Polymer Core) and SPC (Solid Polymer Core); but also mineral-based substrates, e.g. MPC ("Mineral Plastic Composites").”

Source: Multilayer Modular Flooring in focus - MMFA (Multilayer Modular Flooring Association)

BS 8203 — relative humidity limit for a subfloor

A hygrometer maker's data sheet that cites BS 8203, BS 5325 and BS 8201 treats a subfloor as dry enough for most floor coverings when hygrometer readings do not exceed 75% relative humidity (65% RH for solid timber coverings), measured with a hygrometer sealed to the surface so that it reaches equilibrium with the base.

RH limit, resilient floor coverings75 % RH
RH limit, solid timber floor coverings65 % RH

“The base can be considered dry enough to install most floorcoverings if a series of tests produce readings not exceeding 75% R.H. (65% R.H. for solid timber floorcoverings).”

Source: F. Ball and Co. Ltd - Digital Hygrometer, Technical Data Sheet

Commissioning the heating before the floor goes down

Before any subfloor preparation or floorcovering is laid, the underfloor heating must be run through a full drying and commissioning cycle of heating up and cooling down, typically lasting about 21 days.

typical duration of the heat-up / cool-down commissioning cycle21 days

“In all instances, UFH systems must be run through a full drying / commissioning cycle of heating up and cooling down before any subfloor preparation or installation of decorative floor coverings are installed. This period of commissioning is usually around 21 days.”

Source: CFA Guidance Document — Beyond Installation: Guidance on Underfloor Heating (Contract Flooring Association)
11

Questions about herringbone flooring

Is herringbone flooring more expensive than plank flooring?
Usually, for three reasons: the blocks cost more per square metre to make than a plank of the same material, the waste allowance is higher (15% to 20% against 8% to 12% for a plank) and the fitting takes longer because every block is set to a line. The cost guide linked above sets out the components without quoting prices; each product page carries its current price per square metre.
What are the disadvantages of herringbone flooring?
Most of them are about the fitting rather than the floor. A pattern produces more offcuts, so you order 15% to 20% over the room area; it takes longer to lay, because it is set out from a centre line; and the wood blocks are glued, so the base has to be flat and dry first. In a small room full of furniture the zigzag can look busy, which a lighter tone or a larger block calms down.
Herringbone or plank: which should I choose?
Choose by the room and the fitting budget. A plank floor is quicker to lay, wastes less (8% to 12%) and reads long and calm; a herringbone costs more to fit and in return gives the room a pattern it is built around. The material is a separate question: both patterns come in engineered wood, rigid vinyl and laminate, so a kitchen can have a herringbone as well as a living room.
Does herringbone make a room look bigger?
It can make it look longer. Laid along the longest view, from the door towards the main window, the zigzag leads the eye down the room. A light tone and a larger block keep it calm in a small room; a dark tone and a small block make a strong floor that suits a large one. The block sizes are compared in the table above.
Can herringbone go over underfloor heating?
Yes: all 35 herringbone floors on this page are listed as compatible. The oak and walnut blocks are glued to a commissioned, dry screed; the rigid vinyl and the laminate float on an underlay rated for heating, with floor plus underlay kept within the 0.15 m²K/W the systems are designed for.
How much extra herringbone should I order?
Plan 15% to 20% over the measured room area, the allowance manufacturers give for patterned floors, against 8% to 12% for planks. Order it with the floor, in one batch, because a later top up may not match, and draw the setting out first: the border and the cut blocks at the walls decide the final quantity.
Can I lay herringbone myself?
The rigid vinyl and the laminate herringbone are click floors and within reach of a careful DIYer, once the centre line is set out. The oak and walnut blocks are glued to a prepared base from a centre line, and most people hand that to a fitter: an error at the third row is invisible and an error at the tenth is not.
Is herringbone the same as parquet?
Not quite. Herringbone is a pattern; parquet is a wood floor laid as a pattern. In wood, a herringbone is parquet, and the parquet category lists those 22 blocks beside chevron and Versailles panels. Rigid vinyl and laminate herringbone copy the pattern in other materials, which is why they are on this page and not in the parquet category.
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Fitting guide Herringbone installation guide Comparison Herringbone vs chevron Cost guide Herringbone flooring cost
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