Herringbone flooring fitting: set out, waste and timing

Plan the sightline before the room is emptied

Stand in the main doorway and decide which direction you want the zigzag to draw the eye. That may differ from the geometric centre of an irregular room. The set-out needs to reconcile the view with balanced perimeter cuts, rather than treating the nearest wall as a reliable straight reference. A sketched layout also makes a border decision easier: the border takes space away from the central pattern, so it should be included before quantities and cuts are settled.

Take the product construction into account at this stage. A herringbone drawing does not tell you whether the blocks are real wood, bonded LVT or a particular joining system. Each has its own instructions for the base and edges. Compare samples and technical requirements together so the chosen pattern is actually achievable with the product you order.

Read more: Amtico designs and fitting, Karndean flooring choices, LVT flooring installation

Setting out from the room centre

With plank flooring, a fitter can start at one wall and work across. Herringbone cannot be done that way. We find the centre line of the room, usually aligned with the main doorway or the longest view, and snap a straight line along it. The first blocks are laid along that line, and the pattern grows outwards on both sides.

If the set out line drifts, the zigzag wanders, and in a long hallway that is obvious from the front door. Most of the skill in herringbone is in the first few rows.

Why herringbone takes longer than plank

Every block is short, so there are many more joints than in a plank floor, and every one has to sit tight. The edges of the room are filled with angled cuts, one for every row, rather than a single long cut along the wall. Doorways and thresholds need the pattern to continue neatly through. All of that adds time, often a lot of it in a room with alcoves or a bay.

Extra waste

Because the pattern meets every wall at an angle, more material is cut off and discarded than with plank. You need to order more than the floor area to allow for it. Ordering short and hoping a matching batch is available later is a risk with any wood or LVT, and even more so with herringbone.

• Order extra for angled perimeter cuts
• Keep all blocks from the same batch
• Allow more for rooms with bays and alcoves

Borders and finishing edges

Many herringbone floors have a border of one or two planks laid parallel to the walls. It frames the pattern, hides small irregularities in walls that are not square, and gives a neat stopping point at the skirting. A border adds its own cutting and mitred corners, but it often makes the result look more considered, especially in older houses.

Engineered wood or LVT herringbone

Engineered wood herringbone has a real timber surface that can be sanded and refinished in years to come. It suits living rooms, dining rooms and hallways, and works over underfloor heating when the boards are rated for it. LVT herringbone is waterproof and quieter underfoot, so it suits kitchens, utility rooms and bathrooms where a wood floor would be at risk.

Both can be glued down to a level subfloor, which is often the best option for herringbone because it keeps every block firmly in place. Our engineered wood vs LVT guide compares the two in more detail.

Subfloor preparation

Herringbone shows imperfections in the subfloor more than plank, because short blocks rock on a hump instead of bridging it. We level concrete with a compound and overboard uneven timber floors before fitting. The written itemised quote shows preparation as its own line so you can see why it matters.

How long herringbone fitting takes

Expect herringbone to take noticeably longer than the same area in plank, and allow extra time for any border. Glue down floors also need the subfloor prepared and dried before fitting starts, and the adhesive needs time before heavy furniture goes back. We give you a day by day programme so you know when the room is out of use and when it can be furnished again, and we keep the room clean as we work, because adhesive and dust do not mix well.