Herringbone has been laid in European buildings since the sixteenth century, and it has come back into UK homes with real force over the last decade. It is also the floor layout that generates the most confusion at quotation stage, because buyers price the planks and then discover that the pattern, not the material, is where the money goes. This guide explains what herringbone actually is, how it differs from chevron, what it costs in wastage and labour, and how to style it once it is down.
Short answer
Herringbone is a laying pattern, not a type of flooring. Rectangular pieces are laid at 90 degrees to each other in a staggered zigzag, with the ends of each piece meeting the side of the next. It can be done in solid wood, engineered wood, luxury vinyl, laminate or ceramic. Expect to order 15 to 20 percent extra material for wastage and to pay considerably more for fitting than a straight plank layout, because setting out is exacting and every cut at the perimeter is an angled cut.
On this page
- What herringbone actually is, and the correction that matters
- Herringbone versus chevron, the question everybody asks
- Related patterns: double herringbone, basketweave and brick bond
- Materials you can lay in herringbone
- A and B planks, and why you cannot just cut ordinary planks
- Setting out, and why the centreline decides everything
- 45 degrees versus 90 degrees, and which direction to run it
- Subfloor requirements
- Wastage, cost and the numbers nobody quotes upfront
- Why the labour costs roughly double
- Room size, plank scale and proportion
- Borders, perimeters and thresholds
- Which rooms suit herringbone
- Styling: walls, doors, furniture and light
- Maintenance
- Mistakes to avoid
- Frequently asked questions
What herringbone actually is
The previous version of this page described herringbone as a type of wood or vinyl flooring. That is the single most common misunderstanding about it, and it is worth correcting clearly.
It is a pattern, not a product
Herringbone describes how rectangular pieces are arranged, nothing more. Two pieces meet at a right angle, with the short end of one butting against the long side of the other, and the arrangement repeats so that the joints step diagonally across the room. The result is a broken zigzag, named after the skeleton of a herring.
Why the distinction matters commercially
If herringbone were a product, you could compare its price against oak or vinyl. Because it is a pattern, the correct comparison is between the same material laid straight and laid in herringbone. That comparison is where the real cost sits: more material, far more labour, and a fitter who has done it before.
The visual effect
A herringbone floor draws the eye along two diagonals at once, which makes a room feel wider and more dynamic than a straight plank floor running in a single direction. It also breaks up long sightlines, which is why it suits hallways that would otherwise look like corridors. The trade off is that the floor becomes a feature and stops being a background, so everything else in the room has to accommodate it.
A claim to ignore
You will occasionally read that herringbone provides better grip or traction underfoot. It does not. The pattern is a visual arrangement of the same surface, and slip resistance comes from the finish and the material, not from the direction the pieces are pointing.
Herringbone versus chevron
This is the most searched question about the pattern, and the difference is simple once you have seen it.
Herringbone
The pieces are plain rectangles with square cut ends. They meet at 90 degrees, and the short end of one sits against the long side of the next. Because of that offset, the zigzag has a stepped, broken look, and the points do not line up in a continuous line.
Chevron
The pieces have angled ends, typically cut at 45 or 60 degrees. They meet point to point, so each row forms a continuous unbroken V and the joints run in a clean straight line up the room. Chevron looks sharper, more formal and more contemporary.
The practical differences
| Consideration | Herringbone | Chevron |
|---|---|---|
| Piece shape | Plain rectangle, square ends | Angled ends, cut to a set angle |
| How pieces meet | End to side, offset | Point to point, aligned |
| Visual effect | Stepped, broken zigzag | Continuous V, formal |
| Cost of material | Lower, standard rectangles | Higher, purpose cut pieces |
| Fitting difficulty | High | Higher, alignment is unforgiving |
| Suits | Period and modern alike | Modern and formal schemes |
How to tell them apart in a photograph
Look at the top of the zigzag. If the points form a clean unbroken line running up the room, it is chevron. If the points are staggered and the line looks like a series of steps, it is herringbone.
Can you cut standard planks to make chevron?
Not sensibly. Cutting a 45 degree end on both sides of every plank is achievable in a workshop but wasteful and slow on site, and any inconsistency in the angle accumulates across the room until the pattern visibly drifts. Chevron is bought as chevron.
Related patterns worth knowing
Double herringbone
Two pieces are treated as a single unit, so the zigzag is twice as wide. It reads calmer and larger scale, and it works well in a big open plan room where standard herringbone would look busy.
Double basketweave
Pairs of pieces alternate in direction to form squares. A traditional parquet pattern, more formal and more period than herringbone, and rarely seen in new build.
Brick bond and straight lay
The standard layouts. Brick bond staggers every row by half a plank, straight lay uses a random or thirds stagger. Both are far cheaper to fit and remain the right answer for most rooms.
Diagonal straight lay
A middle ground. Standard planks laid at 45 degrees to the walls. It gives some of the dynamism of herringbone with a fraction of the setting out difficulty, though the wastage is still higher than a straight lay.
Materials you can lay in herringbone
Solid wood parquet block
The traditional version. Small solid timber blocks, typically 70mm to 90mm wide, bonded to a screed. Historically laid in bitumen, which is why lifting Victorian and mid century parquet is such an unpleasant job. It can be sanded and refinished many times and it lasts for generations.
Engineered wood herringbone
The most common premium option today. A real hardwood wear layer on a stable plywood base, supplied in matched left and right pieces. More dimensionally stable than solid, suitable over underfloor heating within limits, and available prefinished. Our engineered oak flooring guide covers the construction.
Luxury vinyl tile herringbone
LVT is made in herringbone formats with matched pieces. It is waterproof, quiet, thin, and works well over underfloor heating, which makes it the practical choice for kitchens and bathrooms where real wood would be a compromise. Our Karndean guide explains how LVT is built.
Laminate herringbone
The budget route. Convincing from standing height, but the HDF core means water is still a problem and the floating construction means it drums underfoot more than a bonded floor. See common laminate flooring mistakes.
Ceramic and porcelain
Herringbone in tile is a genuine option for bathrooms, kitchens and hallways, and it has none of the moisture concerns. It is cold underfoot without underfloor heating, and grout lines add a maintenance job that a wood or vinyl floor does not have.
What we currently stock
Being straightforward about this: our flooring range is 12 Karndean luxury vinyl designs, and they are predominantly stone, slate and marble effect tiles sold by the square metre rather than a dedicated herringbone plank format. We do not currently list a herringbone specific product, and we do not stock engineered wood, solid parquet or laminate. If you want a herringbone layout, contact our team before ordering so we can confirm what is achievable with a given design rather than you finding out on site.
A and B planks, and why you cannot just cut ordinary planks
What A and B mean
In wood herringbone, pieces are supplied as matched left hand and right hand versions, usually labelled A and B. On a tongue and groove product the tongue and groove sit on opposite edges of the two versions so that the pattern can close up correctly at every junction. Buy a box of one and you cannot lay the pattern at all.
Ordering the ratio
You need equal quantities of A and B. Some manufacturers supply mixed boxes, others supply separate boxes and expect you to order both. Check this before the delivery arrives, because it is a very common ordering error and it stops the job dead.
Click herringbone
Floating click herringbone exists and is designed for DIY fitting, but the locking geometry is more complex than a straight click plank and the tolerance for error is smaller. Read the manufacturer's instructions before you start rather than assuming it works like ordinary click flooring.
Gluedown LVT herringbone
Bonded directly to the subfloor, so there is no locking edge to fight with and individual pieces can be lifted and replaced later. It gives the thinnest build up and the quietest floor, and it is the format most professional fitters prefer.
Setting out, and why the centreline decides everything
Setting out is the single skill that separates a good herringbone floor from an expensive disappointment. Everything visible about the finished floor is determined before the second piece goes down.
Start from the centre, never from a wall
UK houses do not have square rooms. Walls are rarely parallel and corners are rarely 90 degrees. If you start a herringbone pattern against a wall, the pattern inherits every error in that wall and the drift becomes obvious by the time you reach the far side. The pattern is set out from a chalked centreline through the room and worked outwards in both directions.
Choosing the centreline
The centreline is usually taken through the main sightline, most often the line you see when you walk in through the principal door. In a hallway it runs down the length of the hall. In an open plan space it usually follows the longest run or aligns with a significant architectural feature such as a bay or a set of doors.
Dry lay first
Lay several rows out loose without adhesive to check how the pattern lands at the perimeter, how it meets doorways, and whether you are left with an awkward sliver of a cut at a visible edge. Adjust the centreline before anything is bonded. This step takes an hour and saves the job.
Check the pattern as you go
Herringbone accumulates error. A fraction of a millimetre of drift per piece becomes a visible skew across a room. Measure back to the centreline regularly rather than trusting the pieces to keep each other straight.
45 degrees versus 90 degrees, and which direction to run it
The 90 degree layout
The zigzag runs parallel to the walls, so the points of the pattern face straight down the room. This is the more traditional arrangement, it looks calmer, and it generates less wastage because the perimeter cuts are square rather than angled.
The 45 degree layout
The whole pattern is rotated so the zigzag runs diagonally across the room. It is more dramatic and makes a narrow room feel wider, but every perimeter cut is an angled cut and the wastage rises accordingly.
Direction and light
As a general principle, running the pattern away from the main window or along the principal sightline looks most natural. In a hallway, run it down the length rather than across, or the hall will feel shorter than it is.
Continuity between rooms
If herringbone runs through more than one room, keep the pattern continuous through the doorway rather than restarting it. A restarted pattern at a threshold is one of the clearest signs of a rushed installation.
Subfloor requirements
Flatness
Herringbone is less tolerant of an uneven subfloor than straight plank, because a piece bridging a dip will rock, and a rocking piece in a bonded floor becomes a hollow spot. Work to around 3mm under a 2m straightedge. Check flatness with a straightedge, not a spirit level.
Moisture
Concrete and screed must be tested rather than assumed. The accepted UK threshold for laying a moisture sensitive covering is 75 percent relative humidity, or 65 percent where underfloor heating is present. New screed can take months. If the reading is too high, either wait or install a liquid damp proof membrane.
Timber subfloors
Floorboards are overlaid with flooring grade plywood or hardboard, fixed at close centres with staggered joints, so the surface is continuous and no board movement telegraphs through the pattern.
Underfloor heating
Workable with most herringbone products, subject to the manufacturer's limits. For LVT the floor surface temperature must not exceed 27 degrees Celsius. For wood there are additional acclimatisation and humidity requirements, and a new system in a new screed must be commissioned before the floor is laid.
Wastage, cost and the numbers nobody quotes upfront
Material wastage
A straight or brick bond layout normally needs around 10 percent over the measured area. Herringbone needs 15 to 20 percent, and a 45 degree herringbone in an awkwardly shaped room can need more. Every angled perimeter cut produces an offcut that is the wrong shape to use anywhere else.
Measure the actual area, then add
Measure the room properly including any bay, alcove or return, add the wastage percentage, and order the whole quantity in one delivery so every pack comes from the same production batch. Keep the leftovers as repair stock.
What else goes in the budget
- Adhesive, the manufacturer specified type for a bonded floor
- Primer and smoothing compound for the subfloor
- Plywood overlay if the subfloor is timber
- Damp proof membrane if the moisture test requires one
- Lifting and disposing of the existing floor
- Thresholds and trims at every doorway
- Any border or perimeter detail
- Fitting labour at the herringbone rate, not the plank rate
Why the labour costs roughly double
More pieces
Herringbone pieces are shorter than standard planks, so covering the same area takes several times as many individual placements, each one aligned and set.
Every perimeter cut is a cut
In a straight lay, most of the floor is full planks and only the last row is cut. In herringbone, the entire perimeter is angled cuts, each measured individually.
Setting out takes real time
Chalking, dry laying, checking against the sightlines and adjusting before bonding is often half a day before a single piece is fixed.
It is unforgiving
A straight floor with a small error is invisible. A herringbone floor with a small error is visible from the doorway forever. This is not a pattern to learn on your own hallway. If you are hiring, ask specifically to see herringbone the fitter has laid, not just floors in general.
Room size, plank scale and proportion
Small rooms
Herringbone works in small rooms, contrary to the usual advice, but the piece size has to come down with the room. A large format herringbone in a small cloakroom reads as a few enormous shapes rather than a pattern.
Large rooms
Bigger spaces carry a larger piece size or a double herringbone comfortably. Standard small blocks across a very large open plan floor can look busy and restless.
Hallways
Herringbone is arguably at its best in a hallway, because the diagonal breaks up the corridor effect that a long narrow space otherwise has.
A note on the old advice
The previous version of this page recommended using larger planks in all cases. That is not right. Scale should follow the room, and in a small room larger pieces make the pattern harder to read rather than better.
Borders, perimeters and thresholds
Plain perimeter
The pattern simply runs into the wall and is cut off, with skirting covering the junction. Cleanest and most contemporary, and the most common approach today.
Single or double border
A straight run of planks frames the herringbone field, which contains the pattern and gives it a deliberate edge. Traditional, and particularly effective in a period hallway or a formal reception room. It also conveniently absorbs the irregularity of out of square walls.
Feature strip
A contrasting narrow strip inside the border, usually in a darker timber. Distinctly period, and easy to overdo.
Thresholds
Every doorway where the covering changes needs a trim, and the type depends on whether the two surfaces finish level. Order these with the floor rather than afterwards.
Which rooms suit herringbone
Hallway and entrance
The strongest case. It makes a first impression, it breaks up a corridor, and the pattern hides the general traffic of a busy entrance better than a plain floor. Fit a generous barrier mat inside the door, since grit is what wears any floor.
Kitchen and diner
Works well, particularly in vinyl or tile where spills are not a problem. Consider how the pattern will read once half of it is hidden under an island and a table.
Living room
Handsome, and the room where a border detail earns its keep. Bear in mind that a rug will cover a significant part of the pattern you paid for, so position the rug deliberately rather than by default.
Bedroom
Less common because the bed hides the middle of the floor, which is exactly where the pattern is most visible. If you want herringbone upstairs, a landing is often a better place to spend the money.
Bathroom
Vinyl or tile only. This is not the place for solid parquet.
Conservatory
Approach carefully. The daily temperature swing is the governing problem in a conservatory, and a bonded pattern floor is less forgiving of movement than a floating plank floor. See our conservatory flooring guide.
Open plan spaces
Herringbone can be used to define a zone within an open plan floor, for example running it through the dining area and a plain lay elsewhere, though the junction between the two needs designing rather than improvising.
Styling a herringbone floor
Herringbone is a pattern, and a patterned floor changes the rules for everything above it.
Keep the walls quiet
Plain walls let the floor do the work. Off white, greige, sage, deep green and navy all sit well over herringbone. A boldly patterned wallpaper over a herringbone floor is two patterns competing, and one of them will lose.
Panelling instead of pattern
If a plain wall feels flat, panelling adds relief and shadow without adding a competing pattern, and the vertical lines are a good counterpoint to the diagonal floor. Our wall panelling range holds 15 products and the wall panelling guide covers layout. We also list 10 acoustic wall panels, which help with echo in a hard floored hallway.
Rugs
The old version of this page suggested removing all your rugs to show off the floor. That is poor advice. Rugs protect a floor from grit and scratching, they even out sun fade, they soften the acoustics of a hard floor, and in a herringbone room a plain rug gives the eye somewhere to rest. Place them deliberately, do not remove them. On a vinyl floor use a rug underlay made for vinyl, since rubber and latex backings can permanently mark a wear layer.
Furniture
Simple shapes and plain upholstery work best over a busy floor. A navy or deep green sofa against a warm timber herringbone is a reliable combination, and a leather chair adds a texture the floor does not have. Avoid heavily patterned upholstery.
Lighting
Herringbone shows its texture through shadow, so raking light along the floor from a low lamp or a wall light reveals it far better than a single bright ceiling fitting. Warm white bulbs at around 2700K flatter timber and warm stone effects.
Grey and stone effect herringbone
Herringbone does not have to be honey oak. A grey or stone effect laid in herringbone is more restrained and more contemporary, and it suits a monochrome scheme. Our guide to grey wood effect floors covers undertone and styling for that route.
Matching herringbone to doors and joinery
Keep the doors plain
A patterned floor and a heavily moulded door in the same room is a lot of visual activity. Flat or simple shaker doors are the safer partner. We list over 350 doors in the fully finished collection and over 710 in the full internal doors range.
Oak doors with oak herringbone
Do not attempt an exact match. Two oak products from different manufacturers will never match precisely, and a near miss looks like a mistake. Either choose a clearly different tone, or paint the doors. Our internal oak doors collection holds 292 products and the internal oak door buying guide explains veneer and colour variation.
White and grey doors
The most reliable choice over a patterned floor, because they give the eye a clean vertical break. We list over 80 white primed doors and over 60 internal grey doors.
Black doors
Strong and graphic over a light herringbone, and they suit the same period properties that suit parquet. We list over 110 internal black doors.
Ironmongery
Keep one metal finish through the floor of the house. Brass over a warm timber herringbone, matt black over a grey or monochrome scheme. We list over 2,500 door handles and over 350 door hinges, and our door handles guide covers specification.
Skirting, architrave and door clearance
Herringbone plus adhesive plus any plywood overlay changes the finished floor level, so check door clearances before you hang anything. See how to measure a door and UK internal door sizes. Our skirting, door architrave and internal frames and linings ranges cover the joinery around the opening.
Maintenance
Wood herringbone
Sweep or vacuum regularly, damp mop with a pH neutral wood floor cleaner, and never let water stand at the joints. There are far more joints in a herringbone floor than in a plank floor, which is exactly why standing water matters more here. Solid and engineered floors can be sanded and refinished, though a herringbone floor has to be sanded in multiple directions and costs more to refinish than a plank floor. Our parquet care guide covers this in detail.
Vinyl herringbone
Sweep, damp mop with the manufacturer's own cleaner, and never use steam mops, bleach, solvents or abrasive pads. Never seal or varnish a vinyl floor. Full guidance is in the Karndean guide and on our product care page.
Repairs
A bonded floor allows individual pieces to be cut out and replaced, which is a real advantage of herringbone over a floating floor where you may have to unclip half the room. Keep spare pieces from the original batch.
Protection
Felt pads under every furniture leg, a barrier mat at every external door, and blinds in strongly sunlit rooms. Grit and sunlight are what age a floor, not normal use.
Mistakes to avoid
- Ordering 10 percent extra. Herringbone needs 15 to 20 percent. Running short mid job with a batch that no longer matches is the worst outcome available.
- Starting from a wall. Set out from a chalked centreline. Walls are not straight.
- Skipping the dry lay. An hour of loose laying tells you where the awkward cuts land while you can still move the centreline.
- Ordering only A or only B pieces. You need equal quantities of both.
- Trying to cut standard planks into chevron. Buy chevron as chevron.
- Pricing the material and forgetting the labour. The pattern, not the plank, is where the cost is.
- Laying over an uneven subfloor. Herringbone is less forgiving of dips than straight plank.
- Restarting the pattern at a threshold. Run it through.
- Pairing it with a busy wallpaper or patterned upholstery. One pattern per room.
- Removing all the rugs. Rugs protect the floor and give the eye somewhere to rest.
- Choosing a fitter who has not laid herringbone. Ask to see the work, not just a portfolio of floors.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between herringbone and chevron?
Herringbone uses plain rectangles meeting at 90 degrees, end to side, so the zigzag looks stepped. Chevron uses pieces with angled ends meeting point to point, so the V is continuous and the joints line up.
Is herringbone flooring more expensive?
Yes, in two ways. You need 15 to 20 percent more material for wastage, and fitting typically costs substantially more than a straight lay because of the setting out, the number of pieces and the perimeter cutting.
Can herringbone be laid in a small room?
Yes. Reduce the piece size to suit the room and consider a border to contain the pattern. Herringbone in a small hallway or cloakroom can look excellent.
Which direction should herringbone run?
Usually along the principal sightline, which in a hallway means down its length. Set the centreline on the view you get when you walk in through the main door.
How much extra should I order?
15 to 20 percent over the measured area, and more for a 45 degree layout or an irregular room. Order it all in one batch.
Can I lay herringbone myself?
Click herringbone is possible for a careful and experienced DIY fitter who reads the instructions first. Gluedown herringbone is a trade skill and errors cannot be corrected afterwards. Be honest with yourself about which you are.
Does herringbone work with underfloor heating?
Generally yes, within the manufacturer's limits. LVT must stay at or below 27 degrees Celsius at the floor surface. Wood has additional acclimatisation and humidity requirements, and the system must be commissioned before the floor is laid.
Is herringbone suitable for a bathroom or kitchen?
In vinyl or tile, yes. In solid or engineered wood, a kitchen is possible with care and a bathroom is not advisable.
Is herringbone a passing trend?
It has been laid in European buildings for around four hundred years, which is a long trend. It is a strong visual statement, so it is more of a commitment than a plain floor, but it is not a fashion that appeared last year.
Do I need a border?
No, and most contemporary installations do not have one. A border suits period properties, formal rooms and rooms with badly out of square walls, since it absorbs the irregularity.
Can herringbone be repaired?
A bonded floor allows individual pieces to be cut out and replaced. Keep spares from the original batch, because a later batch may not match.
What is parquet, and is it the same thing?
Parquet is the broader term for geometric wood block flooring, of which herringbone is the best known pattern. Basketweave, brickwork and Versailles panels are also parquet.
Talk to us before you order
Doors2Floors has supplied doors and flooring to homes and businesses across the UK. As set out above, our flooring range is 12 Karndean luxury vinyl designs across the Da Vinci and Knight Tile collections, and we do not currently list a dedicated herringbone product. We would rather tell you that here than have you order the wrong thing.
Where we can help is the rest of the room. Alongside the flooring we list over 710 internal doors, over 290 oak, over 80 white primed, over 60 grey and over 110 black, plus over 2,500 door handles, skirting, architrave and wall panelling. There are also 15 lines in clearance doors.
If you are planning a herringbone floor and want to coordinate the doors and joinery around it, contact our team with your room dimensions and we will talk it through.
This guide is general information for UK homeowners. Subfloor moisture testing, damp proofing and underfloor heating commissioning should be carried out or verified by a competent professional, and you should always follow the specific installation instructions supplied with the product you buy.