Deciding How to Lay Herringbone & Chevron Timber Flooring

May 23, 2019

Herringbone planks laid in a hairdressing salon

Herringbone planks laid in a wide hallway - Note how the laying direction directs your eye down the hallway

Chevron planks laid in a reception area - Note how the laying direction directs your eye to the entrance

Chevron planks laid in a kitchen/living area

Chevron planks laid in a kitchen/living area - Note the transition to a regular plank for the stairs

Chevron planks laid in a hotel suite - Note laying direction is different to usual, not leading your eye down the longest length of the room

Before You start

Herringbone & Chevron flooring is usually laid so that the planks are at 45 degree angles and that the two angles together point up & down the longest lengths of the room. This draws your eye down the length of the room, making it feel very long and spacious.

Large rooms & open-plan spaces

Herringbone & Chevron planks are usually laid on 45 degree angles so that the two angles together point down the longest lengths of the room.
To create interest or make an eye-catching statement, you can lay herringbone so the the planks are straight against the walls - this will visually create more of a squares effect rather than an arrows effect.

Adjoining areas

Where at all possible it is recommended to keep herringbone and chevron flooring running in the same direction as any direction change will make things look busy.
For smaller or adjoining spaces you may like to switch from Herringbone to a matching plank to avoid the space looking too busy.

Hallways & Narrow spaces

Where possible we recommend laying chevron or herringbone planks at 45 degree angles so that the two angles together point down the longest lengths of the hallway or narrow space.

Corners

We recommend continuing the flooring in the same direction - any change of direction is going to disrupt the pattern and create a negative visual distraction - not to mention make the flooring look busier than it already is.

Odd-shaped spaces

We suggest laying the herringbone or chevron planks at 45 degree angles to longest length of the majority of the area, or laying them at 45 degree angles to the direction that people will mostly be walking.

Stairs

We don't recommend installing herringbone or chevron on stairs - unless you want to drive your installer crazy! Instead we recommend using standard planks, in a matching colour to your herringbone or chevron product.

If you need help with deciding how to lay your timber flooring, feel free to send a copy of your plans to our customer care team and one of our experts will be in touch to discuss!

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