Herringbone

Any Century - Any Floor

Filippo Brunelleschi's dome at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy was completed in the mid 15th century. It was the wonder of the age.

Duomo Florence Italy

The brickwork on this largest dome built in over 1000 years is in a herringbone pattern. The architect chose interlocking herringbone as the best configuration to support his dome.

Herringbone pattern in Duomo of Florence.

 

A century later in France builders of the Chateau Fontainebleau employed herringbone for the floor of the Gallery of Francis I. 

Grand hallway Fontainebleau Chateau

Given the extraordinary decor of the hallway, the somewhat busy herringbone fits right in and in no way distracts.

If you install herringbone, you are in good company.

 

Herringbone Flooring Is Versatile

It's versatile in the look and feel that it can give a space. During the last few years it's been appearing in more and more new construction. It's timeless, elegant and durable.

Engineered wood herringbone is available in many sizes and colors and more important, color tones. The degree to which herringbone attracts the eye is determined by color tone and plank size.

The larger the planks and the softer the tone, the more subtle the flooring. And vice versa.

Herringbone with longer planks

The longer planks and softer tones make for a calmer pattern that can support neutral furnishings.

 

Smaller, darker planks in herringbone floor.

Smaller, darker planks draw a lot of attention to herringbone flooring.

 

Room with lots of geometric patterns

Herringbone plays nicely with other geometric patterns.

 

Orient the visitor?

Orienting property of herringbone.

Want your floor to orient the layout of your design. Herringbone might be the way to go.

 

Know Your Installer

Craftsman installing a herringbone floor.

Herringbone installation usually begins in the middle of the room and requires careful measuring and cutting to blend the borders. Have confidence in your herringbone installer!

 

Engineered Wood Herringbone

Herringbone from made from engineered wood comes with huge advantages. The "bones" that make up the chevron pattern as well as the planks that make up the edges come precut from the factory. Your installer is free to measure carefully and complete a "jigsaw puzzle" that will perfectly fit your room.

The whole floor is prefinished at the factory. The floorboards are cut, sanded, stained and sealed at a manufacturer’s facility before they are delivered to a jobsite for installation.

This enables the homeowner to skip the mess and hassle of having a floor finished within their home. 

The finishing process includes lots of sawdust and noxious fumes. Homeowners often must to vacate their premises. 

With a prefinished floor, all the messy work is done before the floor is delivered, which also helps to accelerate and reduce the cost of installation. 

Also stronger sealants can be applied to the wood, adding another layer of protection to the floor.

 

It's Worth It

The extra expense of herringbone can pay off in the long run. It's durable and timeless, more stable than most wood layouts. It's rarely dated. No wonder it's considered a luxury feature in many homes.