Is Herringbone Flooring Right for Your Home?
Herringbone is the most requested pattern we sell and the one people most often underestimate. What it costs in practice, and which rooms it flatters.
01
Why people want it
Herringbone gives a floor movement and depth that straight planks cannot. The pattern draws the eye along the room and catches light from two directions at once, which is why the same oak looks richer laid this way.
It also reads as considered. A herringbone floor is visibly a decision, and in a period property or a large open room it carries the space in a way a plain floor does not.
Not the same as chevron: Herringbone blocks are cut square and meet at a right angle. Chevron blocks are cut at an angle so the rows form a continuous point. They are ordered and fitted differently.
See also
02
What it really costs
Three costs, and only one of them is the boards.
Extra material
15% to 20% for waste, against 8% to 12% for straight plank. Every perimeter cut produces an offcut that cannot be used elsewhere.
Fitting
Slower and more exacting than plank, and normally a job for a professional. Budget accordingly.
Adhesive
Full glue down is the only sensible method, so adhesive is a real line rather than an optional one.
Important: Order the whole quantity including the waste allowance in one go. Boards are produced in batches and a later top up may not match what is already down.
03
Which rooms suit it
Herringbone rewards space and light, and it can overwhelm a small room.
Large open rooms
The pattern has room to read. This is where it looks best.
Hallways
A long narrow run laid along the sightline looks excellent and makes the space feel intentional.
Period properties
It suits the proportions and the era without looking like a pastiche.
Small busy rooms
Be careful. In a small room broken up by units and doorways the pattern is mostly cut away.
04
Before you commit
Three things worth knowing while it is still a decision rather than a delivery.
The subfloor has to be right
A pattern floor is glued down, so a high spot means an area that never bonds.
Setting out decides everything
The first two rows determine the whole field. This is where a professional earns the fee.
It works over underfloor heating
Full glue down puts the floor in direct contact with the heated screed, which is the better performer.
Blocks come in pairs
Left hand and right hand in matched quantities. Check both are present before fitting starts.
Your next step
See a herringbone block in your room
Pattern floors read very differently at home than in a photograph. A sample on your own floor settles it in a week.
- Samples £1.99 each
- UK-wide delivery
- Advice before you order
On this page
Not sure it suits your room?
A real cut from a real board. Samples £1.99 each, up to 10 per order.
Order samples · £1.99