Pattern guide
Herringbone laying patterns
Herringbone, chevron, double herringbone and basket weave explained. A and B planks, setting out from the centre line, 45 or 90 degrees, wastage allowances and which material to choose.
What herringbone actually is
Herringbone is short rectangular blocks laid at 90 degrees to each other in a staggered zig-zag. Each block's end sits against the long side of its neighbour, so the pattern steps forward as it repeats. The blocks themselves stay rectangular, with square-cut ends.
It is the oldest pattern in the book and the one that still sells hardest, because it does something a straight plank floor cannot: it reads as a floor that was designed rather than covered.
Herringbone, chevron, and the rest
People use these names interchangeably. They are different floors, they cost different amounts to fit, and they are not interchangeable at all.
| Pattern | What it looks like | How the blocks are cut |
|---|---|---|
| Herringbone | Staggered zig-zag, each block offset against the next | Square ends, 90 degree joints |
| Chevron | Continuous arrow, with an unbroken point running down the room | Ends mitred, usually at 45 degrees, so blocks meet point to point |
| Double herringbone | Herringbone laid in pairs, so two blocks act as one | Square ends, as herringbone |
| Basket weave | Squares of two or three blocks, alternating direction | Square ends |
| Subway / brick bond | Simple offset running bond | Square ends |
| Versailles | Framed squares with a lattice inside each panel | Pre-assembled panels |
The one to be careful about is chevron. It only works with blocks that are mitred at the factory. You cannot make chevron from herringbone stock, and cutting your own mitres on site is a job almost nobody should take on. Buy chevron as chevron.
Double herringbone is the cheap upgrade nobody thinks of. Same blocks, same price, laid in pairs. It covers a large floor faster than single herringbone and reads as calmer and larger in scale, which suits big open-plan rooms where a single herringbone can get busy.
A and B planks: the thing people get wrong when ordering
Herringbone comes as left-handed and right-handed blocks, usually called A and B. On tongue and groove products the tongue and groove sit on opposite edges of the two versions, so they only interlock in the correct pairing.
What this means in practice:
- Packs are supplied as matched pairs. Buy them as pairs.
- You cannot make up a shortfall by ordering more of whichever pack you have left.
- On site, split the packs into two piles, A and B, before you start. Every strip you lay is one A and one B joined together.
Get this wrong and you have a floor's worth of blocks that will not go together, and a delivery wait in the middle of a job.
Glue-down LVT herringbone is more forgiving, because most LVT blocks are symmetrical and have no tongue. On those, the handedness is created by how you lay them, not by the tile.
Setting out: start in the middle, never at a wall
This is the difference between a herringbone floor that looks right and one that quietly annoys people for twenty years.
Straight plank floors are set out from the longest wall. Herringbone is set out from the centre of the room. The reason is symmetry: the pattern has a spine running down it, and the eye finds that spine immediately. If it is off centre, or worse, if it runs at a slight angle to the room, the whole floor looks wrong even though every individual joint is perfect.
- 1
Find the centre line. Measure the wall running in your chosen direction, halve it, and snap a chalk line down the length of the room.
- 2
Add guide lines. Snap perpendicular lines at a true 90 degrees, and mark the outer edges of the first few strips. Accuracy here carries through the whole floor.
- 3
Separate A and B blocks into two piles.
- 4
Lay the first strip against the centre line. For herringbone, align the highest point of the strip with the line. It will look very slightly offset to one side. That is correct and it resolves as you add strips either side.
- 5
Dry lay first. Set out a full strip, and a row across the room, before any adhesive comes out. Adjust so the perimeter cuts fall evenly and you are not left with a sliver of a block along one wall.
- 6
Check the first strip twice. Everything after it is a copy of it.
- 7
Work outwards from the centre in both directions, then cut the perimeter last, keeping the expansion gap at every wall.
45 degrees or 90 degrees?
Herringbone can be run two ways relative to the room, and they look completely different.
45 degrees to the wall (diagonal)
The spine of the pattern runs diagonally across the room and the blocks meet the walls at 45 degrees. This is the classic, more formal look. It makes a room feel wider, and it is the version most people picture. It also generates the most perimeter cuts and the most waste.
90 degrees to the wall (square)
The spine runs parallel to the room, and blocks meet the walls square. Cleaner, more contemporary, fewer cuts, less waste, and it draws the eye down the length of the room. Good in hallways, where you run the spine along the hall.
Direction matters too. Running the point of the pattern towards the main window or the main door gives the room a clear direction of travel. In an open-plan space, pick one direction and hold it through every zone, rather than turning the pattern at a threshold.
Wastage: order more than you think
Herringbone generates far more offcuts than straight plank, because every block that meets a wall gets cut at an angle and most of the offcut is unusable.
| Layout | Allowance on top of floor area |
|---|---|
| Straight plank | 5 to 10 per cent |
| Herringbone, square to the walls | 10 per cent |
| Herringbone at 45 degrees | 15 per cent |
| Chevron | 15 per cent |
| Small, awkward or heavily broken-up rooms | up to 20 per cent |
Always order the full quantity in one go so the whole floor comes from the same batch. Timber and print batches vary, and on a pattern floor the eye will find the join.
Keep a pack back for repairs. On a herringbone floor, a single damaged block cannot be replaced with anything except a matching block.
Which material: glue-down LVT or click SPC?
Both formats do herringbone. They suit different jobs.
Glue-down herringbone LVT
The most design freedom and the most stable result. Fully bonded, so no floating movement, no click joint to fail, and it takes any subfloor once it is prepared. Best for kitchens, wet rooms, commercial spaces and anywhere with underfloor heating. Needs a professional fit and a proper high-temperature adhesive. This is our largest herringbone range.
Herringbone click SPC
The DIY-friendly option. Rigid core, underlay already attached, and it floats, so no adhesive and no drying time. Fastest to install and the easiest to lift again, which makes it good for rentals. Slightly less forgiving on an uneven subfloor than glue-down.
| If you want | Choose |
|---|---|
| Waterproof, high traffic, commercial | Glue-down herringbone LVT |
| DIY install, no adhesive, fast | Herringbone click SPC |
| A bold, large-scale pattern | Large-format LVT or double herringbone |
| A traditional, fine-scale parquet look | Small-format glue-down LVT blocks |
Stripping, borders and motifs
On a pattern floor, the layout is only half of it.
Stripping is thin grout-style strip laid between blocks and tiles. On a herringbone floor it draws the outline of the pattern and turns it from a texture into a graphic. A wide, contrasting strip is dramatic; a slim, tonal one just quietly defines the shape. Most floors can be laid without it, but herringbone tile in stone designs looks its best with it.
Borders run the pattern up to a frame and stop it cleanly at the room edge, which also hides the worst of the perimeter cuts. Motifs drop a centrepiece into the middle of the field.
Fitting notes
Subfloor flatness matters more here. Aim for 3mm over a 2m straightedge. A pattern floor shows every dip because the joints run in two directions.
Glue-down: full trowel coverage, correct notch, and roll the floor. Use a high-temperature adhesive.
Click: 10 to 12mm expansion gap at every wall and upright, and do not fix trims to the floor.
Labour. A herringbone floor takes materially longer to fit than straight plank, commonly around half as long again. Price the job accordingly, and allow for the setting-out time before a single block goes down.
If in doubt, use a fitter. Herringbone punishes a poor set-out more than any other pattern.
Common questions
- Is herringbone more expensive?
- The material usually costs the same or a little more per m², but the real difference is wastage and labour. Budget 10 to 15 per cent more material and expect a longer fit.
- Can I lay herringbone myself?
- Click SPC herringbone, yes, if you are careful with the set-out. Glue-down LVT herringbone is best fitted professionally.
- Does herringbone make a small room look smaller?
- No, usually the opposite. Laid at 45 degrees it pulls the eye diagonally, which makes a narrow room read as wider. Use a smaller block in a small room so the pattern repeats enough times to be legible.
- Herringbone or chevron?
- Herringbone is the safer choice and the wider range. Chevron is stronger and more directional, but the mitred blocks cost more and there is far less choice.
Shop all herringbone and parquet
Or narrow it down by material.