Herringbone wood flooring: your complete guide
Herringbone wood flooring, also called parquet flooring, is an elegant style of wood floor where planks are laid in a pattern reminiscent of the bones of a herring skeleton. The planks themselves are rectangular, distinguishing herringbone flooring from chevron flooring, which is where the planks are cut at an angle in a parallelogram shape.
Herringbone flooring designs date back to the Roman Empire – the Romans used the pattern for their roads, as laying stones in an interlocking manner made the roads stronger and better able to absorb traffic and footfall. You can read more about the history of herringbone flooring in our earlier blog post.
Why choose herringbone flooring?
Herringbone flooring has a truly timeless look, making it a versatile choice that will suit period properties and contemporary homes alike. Thanks to its refined elegance, if you’re keen to upgrade the look of a room, herringbone flooring will create an eye-catching focal feature. What’s more, even though herringbone flooring can be a significant investment, it adds value to your home – something to bear in mind for the future.
Does herringbone flooring work in small spaces?
Herringbone works equally well in large and small spaces. The direction and size of plank should be considered for both. Similar to patterned carpets, a larger pattern or plank will suit a larger space better and the same applies to a smaller space; a smaller pattern, or smaller plank will look more in keeping with the proportions of the area or room.
Herringbone floors can be fitted with or without a two-block border around the perimeter, but you may want to omit the border in a small or narrow space like a hallway, as it can make the area look overly busy.
If you have several areas that run off at right angles or L-shaped rooms, a herringbone floor is an ideal choice as it’s one of the least directional floors available. Plank wood floors have an obvious direction, whereas herringbone floors can be laid in whichever way best suits the space. We offer a large range of herringbone wood floors in a variety of sizes, including an expansive collection of bespoke options, so you’re sure to find the perfect floor to meet your requirements.
Is herringbone flooring expensive?
Herringbone floors usually come at a premium due to the precision required to produce them. Installation is also more time-consuming than for other types of flooring, and requires skilled workmanship from fitters who have the requisite experience.
Our entry-level herringbone floors start with our beautiful hand-finished Westminster range which is made to order and can be produced in almost any colour to suit your vision. We also offer a limitless option in our bespoke range – which has almost endless possibilities in terms of colours, tones, brushing and fuming. This allows us to replicate any floor you may have seen elsewhere or match an existing floor you have in your property. As a general rule, the price will increase in accordance with the number of finishing processes and the grade of the timber, with prime being the most expensive.
Choosing your herringbone floor from Higherground
When it comes to choosing the colour of your herringbone floor, you have a wealth of options – and if you need further advice, have a look at our guide to choosing the perfect wood floor colour. But here are some of our favourite shades…
For a light and airy look, consider Bespoke Herringbone 9102. With a brushed surface and a coating of white oil, this flooring is highly contemporary and offers a fresh, Scandi-inspired aesthetic. Our Bespoke Herringbone range gives you the option of different plank widths. Wider planks give a more contemporary effect, and narrower planks are more traditional, so the width you choose will depend on whether you’re after a classic look or something more modern.
For a more dramatic effect from our Bespoke Herringbone range, 9109 is an excellent choice. The boards have been fumed and brushed with UV oil to offer a rich, dark colour with a subtle gloss finish. The striking elegance of Bespoke Herringbone 9109 will help you create a truly eye-catching room.
Venice Natural offers a pale gold, mid-toned finish. Whether you live in a period property or a contemporary home, Venice Natural flooring will add gentle warmth to any room. The oak blocks are laid unfinished, then sanded and coated with your choice of lacquer or oil. No matter which finish you choose, the details of the woodgrain will be visible, and your Venice Natural flooring will only improve with age.
Westminster Old English is one of our most popular herringbone floors, due to its aged character and timeless colour. This beautiful herringbone floor replicates an original floor of yesteryear, so is perfect for a period property where you’re looking to reinstate the original look and feel. We also can provide this in a matching plank (York Old English) in variable widths, which can be used to add interest in different areas. For example, you can run the herringbone floor through a hallway and complement this with the plank flooring in the adjoining living area or study. This range is made to order so we can alter the colour to suit your requirements.
Another mid-toned herringbone floor, Modena Natural will suit period homes and new-builds alike. The lightly brushed surface is finished with UV oil, leaving the pattern of the woodgrain visible. Modena Natural lives up to its name – understated but elegant, this herringbone flooring will look beautiful in any setting.
Borders and inlays
We can fit all our herringbone wood floors with or without a border to the perimeter of the room. For the smaller boards, we always recommend a two-block border which allows for walls that aren’t arrow-straight. For our larger herringbone boards, we can install a one-block border. We can also install an inlay for all the products in our Modena range which will contrast in colour with the main floor.
Installing your herringbone flooring
The secret to a perfectly laid herringbone floor is following the right processes and being able to draw on a wealth of experience – a little like cooking a delicious meal. All our installers have worked extensively with herringbone wood floors and are highly familiar with every wood floor type we offer. They will take the time to understand the layout of the property and the area where your new floor is to be fitted before they even lay a single plank.
You can rest assured that by placing an order through us for both supply and installation, the works will be carried out to the highest of standards and backed by our unique 5-year installation guarantee for additional peace of mind.
Expert help and advice from Higherground
The best way to view our range of herringbone flooring is to come to our showroom in Camberley, Surrey. We have 16 full-size room sets, half of which are dedicated to our herringbone flooring. With more than 250 large format samples, you’ll be able to get a good look at your options. And while you’re browsing, our team of flooring experts will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
If you’re unable to come to our showroom, you can still talk to our friendly, professional team – please get in touch, we’ll be delighted to help.
Wood Flooring Type & Design
Engineered
For the largest selection of engineered wood flooring in Surrey visit our showroom in Camberley.
Herringbone
Herringbone wood flooring, also known as parquet wood flooring is enjoying a renaissance in recents years.
Multiply
Multiply is a variation of engineered wood flooring.
Solid Wood
ou can view large scale samples, and room sets of our Westminster Collection in our Surrey wood flooring showroom.
Chevron
Chevron patterned parquet flooring is a variation on herringbone with small planks laid at angles to each other.
Bespoke
Our bespoke wood flooring gives you the option to choose your colour, board size and style.
Multi-width
Prior to modern milling techniques trees were felled and cut into random sizes to be used for flooring.
Patterned
Patterned parquet wood flooring is growing in popularity for commercial environments and private homes.
Plank
The choice of plank wood flooring has increased dramatically in recent years due to the advent of engineered wood flooring.
Visit our showroom
We’re more than happy to talk you through the options and answer your questions over the phone but if you’re nearby, we’d love to see you in our showroom in Camberley, Surrey. Our range of wood flooring is spread across 16 rooms on our first floor and here you’ll be able to talk to our friendly, professional team of flooring experts and ask any questions you may have.
If you can’t make it to our showroom, you can use our sample service and have samples of your choices delivered right to your door. And if there’s anything more we can do to help you choose your new flooring, please do get in touch.
