An Expert Guide from Luxury Wood Flooring
Herringbone parquet flooring represents one of the most enduring and elegant choices in interior design. With its distinctive zigzag pattern—named for its resemblance to the skeleton of a herring fish—this flooring style has graced everything from grand Parisian apartments to contemporary London townhouses for centuries . The pattern creates movement, depth, and a sense of crafted luxury that few other flooring options can match.
Yet installing herringbone parquet is not a decision to be taken lightly. The choices you make before the first block is laid will determine not only the aesthetic success of your floor but its longevity, practicality, and value for years to come.
At Luxury Wood Flooring, we have spent over two decades helping London homeowners navigate these decisions. Whether you are renovating a Victorian terrace in Islington, a warehouse conversion in Shoreditch, or a family home in Richmond, this guide will walk you through the 11 essential considerations that will shape your herringbone flooring project.
1. Type of Parquet: Choosing Your Material
The first and most fundamental decision is what your herringbone floor will actually be made of. Each material brings distinct characteristics in terms of appearance, durability, installation requirements, and cost.
Solid Wood Herringbone
Traditional herringbone parquet originated with solid wood blocks, and for purists, nothing else quite compares. Typically crafted from oak, solid wood blocks are milled from a single piece of timber, offering unmatched authenticity and the ability to be sanded and refinished multiple times over a lifespan that can exceed 100 years .
Solid wood herringbone is supplied unfinished in most cases, meaning the floor is sanded and finished on-site after installation. This creates a seamless, monolithic surface and allows complete customisation of the final colour and sheen.
However, solid wood demands specific conditions. It must be fully bonded to a stable subfloor and is sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature. It is not recommended for use with underfloor heating unless specifically approved by the manufacturer, and it is unsuitable for bathrooms, basements, or other areas prone to moisture fluctuation .
Engineered Wood Herringbone
Engineered wood has become the most popular choice for herringbone flooring in contemporary homes. Each block consists of a genuine hardwood wear layer—typically oak—bonded to a cross-layered plywood or softwood core. This construction provides exceptional dimensional stability, meaning the floor is far less likely to expand, contract, or warp with seasonal changes .
Engineered herringbone is compatible with underfloor heating, can be installed over concrete subfloors with appropriate preparation, and is available in a vast range of finishes, grades, and dimensions. Pre-finished options eliminate the dust and disruption of on-site sanding, though unfinished engineered blocks are also available for those who want a fully bespoke result.
Lifespan expectations for quality engineered herringbone approach 60 years or more, making it a sound long-term investment .
LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) Herringbone
Luxury Vinyl Tile has revolutionised the flooring market, and herringbone formats are no exception. LVT consists of multiple layers: a photographic wood-effect print layer, a transparent wear layer for protection, and a backing layer for stability.
The appeal of LVT herringbone lies in its practicality. It is completely waterproof, making it suitable for kitchens, bathrooms, and even basements where real wood would be inadvisable . It is typically installed as a floating floor with a click-lock system, reducing installation time and cost. It is also considerably softer and warmer underfoot than wood, and more forgiving of minor subfloor imperfections.
The trade-off is authenticity. While high-quality LVT convincingly mimics wood from standing height, the pattern repeat inherent in printed surfaces means it lacks the unique grain variation of real timber . Lifespan is also shorter, typically 25-30 years for premium products .
SPC (Stone Polymer Composite) Herringbone
SPC represents the next evolution in rigid core flooring. It features a dense limestone and PVC composite core that offers superior impact resistance and dimensional stability compared to standard LVT. SPC herringbone planks are typically thinner than wood alternatives—often around 5-6mm—but remarkably robust .
Like LVT, SPC is fully waterproof and ideally suited to floating installation over most existing hard surfaces. The rigid core means it can span minor subfloor irregularities without telegraphing through, and it performs exceptionally well in high-traffic areas. Many SPC products include an integrated acoustic underlay, simplifying installation further .
Laminate Herringbone
Laminate herringbone offers the most budget-conscious entry point to the pattern. Like LVT, it uses a photographic layer to create the wood effect, but with a high-density fibreboard core rather than vinyl. Modern laminates have improved dramatically in realism and durability, though they remain vulnerable to moisture and cannot be refinished.
Lifespan expectations are typically 15-25 years, and laminate is best suited to low-moisture living areas such as bedrooms and lounges .
Other Options
Beyond these mainstream categories, several specialist herringbone options exist. Reclaimed wood herringbone—crafted from salvaged timbers—offers unparalleled character and sustainability credentials. Bamboo herringbone provides a distinctive grain pattern and excellent eco-credentials, though availability in herringbone formats is limited. For commercial or ultra-high-traffic applications, porcelain tiles in herringbone layouts combine the pattern with extreme durability.
| Material | Lifespan | Water Resistance | Underfloor Heating | Relative Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Wood | 100+ years | Poor | Limited | High |
| Engineered Wood | 60+ years | Moderate | Yes | Medium-High |
| LVT | 25-30 years | Excellent | Yes | Medium |
| SPC | 25-30 years | Excellent | Yes | Medium |
| Laminate | 15-25 years | Poor | Limited | Low |
Expert Tip: When budgeting, remember that material cost is only part of the equation. Solid wood requires on-site sanding and finishing, adding £35-£55 per square metre to the installed cost. Pre-finished engineered or LVT herringbone eliminates this step entirely.
2. Size of Parquet Blocks: Scale and Proportion
The dimensions of your herringbone blocks will profoundly influence how your space feels. This is perhaps the single most overlooked consideration, yet it makes the difference between a floor that feels perfectly proportioned and one that seems somehow “off.”
Small Blocks (70x230mm, 70x280mm)
Traditional herringbone parquet was almost exclusively produced in small formats. These diminutive blocks—some as compact as 70x230mm—create an intricate, detailed pattern that draws the eye and rewards close inspection. They are the authentic choice for period properties and listed buildings, where they faithfully replicate the scale of original 19th-century parquet floors .
Small blocks are most readily available in solid wood, though some engineered ranges offer traditional sizes. The density of the pattern creates visual richness, but in very large, open-plan spaces, small blocks can sometimes feel busy or overwhelm the eye with detail.
Medium Blocks (70x350mm, 90x450mm)
Medium-format herringbone has emerged as the sweet spot for most contemporary homes. Sizes around 70x350mm to 90x450mm offer a balanced aesthetic that works harmoniously in rooms of almost any size .
At this scale, the herringbone pattern reads clearly from across the room without dominating. The blocks are large enough to showcase the natural grain and character of the wood, yet not so large that the zigzag loses its rhythmic quality. Medium formats are widely available in engineered wood, LVT, and SPC.
Large Blocks (100x500mm, 120x600mm, 140x700mm)
Large-format herringbone is a distinctly modern interpretation of the pattern. With blocks exceeding 100mm in width and 500mm in length, these floors create bold, architectural statements that suit contemporary interiors and expansive open-plan layouts .
The larger surface area of each block allows the timber’s natural features—knots, grain swirls, medullary rays—to take centre stage. In a generous space with high ceilings, large-format herringbone reads as confident and considered rather than overwhelming. Conversely, in a modest Victorian terrace, such scale can feel disproportionate and visually compress the room.
Large formats are almost exclusively the domain of engineered wood, LVT, SPC, and laminate, as solid wood at these dimensions would be prohibitively prone to movement.
The Hallway and Lounge Consideration
In British homes, flooring typically flows continuously from hallway through to living spaces. This creates a particular challenge: hallways are often narrow and constrained, while lounges may be more generously proportioned. A block size that feels expansive in the hallway may feel lost in the lounge, or vice versa.
As a general principle, medium-format blocks offer the most versatile solution for homes where flooring will run through multiple spaces of varying dimensions. They strike a balance that feels appropriate in both confined and open areas .
For reference, a room under 15 square metres typically suits smaller planks (70x350mm or under); spaces of 15-30 square metres work well with medium formats (90x450mm); and rooms exceeding 30 square metres can confidently accommodate wider, longer blocks (120x600mm and above) .
Expert Tip: Request large physical samples of your shortlisted block sizes and lay them out in your actual space. A single block in isolation tells you little; arrange at least 8-10 blocks in the full herringbone pattern to properly gauge how the scale interacts with your room’s proportions.
3. Colour of the Parquet: Light, Medium, or Dark
Colour selection goes far deeper than personal preference. The shade of your herringbone floor will fundamentally alter how your room is perceived, interacting with natural light, artificial lighting, ceiling height, and the room’s dimensions.
Light Tones
Pale, bleached, and natural oak tones have dominated interior design for the past decade, and with good reason. Light herringbone floors possess an extraordinary ability to amplify available light, making rooms feel brighter, more spacious, and more serene .
In north-facing rooms that receive cooler, flatter light throughout the day, pale floors help counteract the absence of direct sunlight. In properties with lower ceilings—common in Victorian and Edwardian terraces—light flooring prevents the space from feeling heavy or closed in. Light tones also provide a neutral canvas that accommodates almost any interior style, from minimalist Scandinavian to layered traditional.
The practical consideration: light floors are somewhat more forgiving of dust and light debris, but more demanding when it comes to stains or marks from darker liquids.
Natural and Medium Tones
Mid-tone oak—encompassing warm honey, golden, and classic “natural oak” shades—represents perhaps the most timeless and versatile choice. These floors neither make a pronounced design statement nor recede entirely; instead, they provide a warm, balanced foundation that will remain relevant through changing trends.
Medium tones work particularly well in rooms that receive good natural light but might feel stark or clinical with a pale floor. They also possess the chameleon-like ability to read as traditional in a period setting or contemporary when paired with modern furnishings.
Dark Tones
Deep, rich floors—think smoked oak, dark walnut, or ebonised finishes—create drama and sophistication. A dark herringbone floor anchors a room, providing a sense of gravity and permanence that lighter floors cannot replicate.
However, dark floors demand careful consideration of context. They absorb rather than reflect light, which can make already-dim rooms feel smaller and more enclosed . In a room with generous proportions and abundant natural light, this “cocooning” effect can be luxurious and intentional. In a small, low-ceilinged space with a single north-facing window, the same floor may simply feel oppressive.
Dark floors also reveal dust, pet hair, and light-coloured debris more readily than their lighter counterparts—a practical reality worth acknowledging.
The Ceiling Height Factor
Ceiling height deserves particular attention in London properties, where room proportions vary dramatically between architectural eras. Victorian and Georgian homes typically enjoy generous ceiling heights of 2.7 metres or more, allowing considerable flexibility in floor colour. In contrast, many post-war and modern flats have ceiling heights of 2.4 metres or less, where dark flooring can visually lower the ceiling further.
Expert Tip: Consider the orientation of each room. South-facing rooms flooded with warm, golden light can carry almost any floor colour successfully. North-facing rooms benefit enormously from warmer, honey-toned or golden floors that inject the warmth the light itself lacks.
4. Overall Colour Scheme: Harmony or Contrast
Your herringbone floor will not exist in isolation. It will interact with every other surface and furnishing in the room, and the relationship between floor and walls is particularly critical.
Creating Cohesion
The most successful interiors maintain a clear relationship between floor and wall colours, whether harmonious or deliberately contrasting. A unified palette where floor and walls sit within the same colour family—both warm, both cool, or both neutral—creates a sense of calm and visual flow. This approach works especially well in open-plan layouts where you want the space to read as a single, cohesive environment.
Alternatively, deliberate contrast can be equally effective. A pale floor against deep, saturated walls creates a dynamic tension that feels considered and intentional. The key is ensuring the contrast is strong enough to read as purposeful rather than a near-miss that simply looks mismatched.
Working with Existing Elements
In most renovation projects, some elements are fixed. Kitchen cabinetry, fireplace surrounds, and architectural features like original cornicing or exposed brickwork may not be changing. Your floor selection should acknowledge these permanent fixtures.
A floor with warm, golden undertones will clash with cool grey kitchen units. A floor with pronounced pinkish hues will fight with terracotta tiles or exposed brick. When sampling, place flooring samples directly against your fixed elements—skirting boards, kitchen plinths, door thresholds—to observe how the undertones interact.
The White Wall Principle
If you are starting with a blank canvas or planning to redecorate, pale floors offer the greatest future flexibility. They accommodate almost any wall colour and allow you to reinvent the room’s personality through paint and furnishings without the floor dictating your choices.
Expert Tip: Undertone is everything. Oak flooring, whether solid or engineered, can carry warm amber undertones, cool grey undertones, or neutral beige undertones depending on how it has been processed and finished. Bring samples home and observe them at different times of day before committing—colours that appear neutral under showroom lighting can reveal strong undertones in your home’s natural light.
5. Interior Style: Traditional Elegance or Contemporary Flair
Herringbone flooring is remarkably versatile, but the specific characteristics of your chosen product will steer it firmly towards either traditional or contemporary territory.
Traditional Interiors
For period properties and classically styled homes, certain herringbone characteristics feel authentically appropriate. Small-format blocks, ideally in solid oak with a rustic or character grade that includes knots and natural variation, evoke the original parquet floors of Victorian and Edwardian London. A warm, mid-tone finish—honey or golden oak—completes the traditional aesthetic.
Rustic-grade timber, with its knots, burrs, and colour variation, reads as honest and timeworn. In a traditional interior with original fireplaces, cornicing, and sash windows, this character feels entirely at home.
Contemporary Interiors
Modern and minimalist spaces call for a different approach. Larger block formats, cleaner grades with fewer knots and more uniform colour, and cooler or paler finishes all push herringbone towards a contemporary aesthetic. Smoked or fumed oak, with its deep, chocolatey tones, works particularly well in modern settings.
Engineered wood is the natural choice here, offering the stable large formats and consistent grading that modern interiors demand. Pre-finished options with a matte lacquer or UV oil provide a clean, precise look that complements contemporary architecture.
The Transitional Middle Ground
Many London homes occupy a transitional space—period architecture updated with modern interventions, or new-build properties designed with traditional references. For these settings, medium-format engineered herringbone in a natural or lightly smoked finish offers a versatile foundation that honours both the pattern’s heritage and the home’s contemporary reality.
Expert Tip: If you are drawn to both traditional warmth and contemporary clarity, consider a medium-format engineered herringbone with a “light character” grade—enough natural variation to feel authentic, but controlled enough to read as modern.
6. Subfloor and Installation Method
The most beautiful herringbone floor in the world will fail if installed over an inadequate subfloor. Understanding what lies beneath and what preparation it requires is essential.
Solid and Engineered Wood: Fully Bonded Installation
Both solid and engineered herringbone parquet must be fully bonded to the subfloor using specialist flooring adhesive. This is not optional; floating installation is not viable for herringbone wood flooring due to the number of joints and the directional forces the pattern creates .
This bonding requirement means the subfloor must be solid, stable, clean, dry, and critically—flat. The industry standard for wood flooring installation requires a flatness tolerance of no more than 3mm deviation over a 2-metre straight edge . Any deviation beyond this will telegraph through to the finished floor, creating lippage (height variation between adjacent blocks) and potentially compromising the adhesive bond.
Timber Subfloors (Floorboards)
Traditional suspended timber floors—floorboards over joists—are common in period London properties. While these can provide an excellent foundation for herringbone parquet, they require preparation. Original floorboards will have gaps, may be uneven, and will move seasonally.
The standard solution is to overboard the existing floorboards with a layer of plywood—typically 6mm minimum thickness for engineered herringbone, 9mm or more for solid wood . The plywood is screwed to the floorboards, creating a uniform, stable surface. The plywood seams are then filled and the surface primed before adhesive application.
Concrete Subfloors
Concrete subfloors are common in modern flats, converted commercial buildings, and extensions. Before any wood flooring installation, the concrete must be tested for moisture content. A reading above 75% relative humidity (or 0.3% moisture content by weight) indicates that a damp-proof membrane must be applied before flooring installation .
Even if moisture levels are acceptable, concrete subfloors often require levelling. Self-levelling compounds can address minor undulations, while more significant deviations may require grinding or additional preparation. Once level and dry, the concrete must be primed to ensure proper adhesive adhesion.
Read More about Sub-floor Preparation
LVT, SPC, and Laminate: Floating Installation
The principal advantage of LVT, SPC, and laminate herringbone is the option for floating installation. These products use click-lock systems that allow the floor to be laid over a suitable underlay without adhesive bonding to the subfloor .
Floating installation is faster, cleaner, and less disruptive than fully bonded installation. It also means the floor can be walked on immediately after laying, with no adhesive curing time. However, floating floors still require a flat subfloor—typically within 3-5mm over 2 metres depending on the product.
Glue-Down LVT Herringbone
Some LVT herringbone products are designed for glue-down installation rather than floating. This approach creates a floor that feels more solid underfoot and eliminates the subtle “hollow” sound that floating floors can produce.
Glue-down LVT demands the most exacting subfloor preparation of all. Because the material is thin and flexible—typically 2.5-5mm—any subfloor imperfection will telegraph through and be visible in the finished surface. The subfloor must be perfectly smooth, often requiring specialist smoothing compounds applied by experienced installers .
Expert Tip: Do not underestimate subfloor preparation costs. In many London properties, particularly older buildings, subfloor preparation can account for 30-50% of the total installation cost. Budget for this realistically from the outset.
7. Sound and Damp Proofing
The moment you lift old flooring is the ideal opportunity to address what lies beneath. Soundproofing and damp-proofing are far easier and more cost-effective to install when the floor is already exposed than to retrofit later.
Damp Proofing
Any ground-floor room in a London property should have an effective damp-proof membrane (DPM) between the subfloor and the finished floor. This is particularly critical in Victorian and Edwardian properties, where original solid floors may have no DPM, and in basement conversions, where moisture ingress is an ever-present risk .
For concrete subfloors, a liquid DPM can be applied directly to the prepared concrete before flooring installation. For suspended timber floors, the situation is more complex—ventilation beneath the floor is the primary defence against damp, but additional vapour barriers may be specified depending on conditions.
UK Building Regulations Part C addresses site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture, and any reputable flooring contractor will work to these standards .
Sound Proofing
If you live in a flat—particularly in a converted Victorian house or a purpose-built block—sound transmission to the flat below is likely governed by the terms of your lease. Many leases explicitly require that any replacement flooring achieves specified acoustic performance standards.
UK Building Regulations Part E sets out minimum acoustic performance for floors in new-build flats and conversions . While these regulations apply primarily to new construction, many freeholders and management companies apply similar standards to flooring replacements as a condition of leaseholder consent.
Acoustic underlays for floating floors (LVT, SPC, laminate) can achieve significant impact sound reduction—the noise of footfall transmitting to the space below. For fully bonded wood floors, specialist acoustic membranes can be installed beneath the adhesive layer, though this adds complexity and cost to the installation.
Always consult your building management or freeholder before commencing work. Failure to obtain consent or meet acoustic requirements can result in costly remediation.
Read More about Sound Proofing
Expert Tip: Request a copy of your lease’s flooring clause before selecting materials. Some leases mandate specific acoustic performance (measured in decibels), and only certain underlay products will satisfy these requirements. Your flooring specialist can advise on compliant systems.
8. Rooms and Suitability: Where to Install What
Not all herringbone flooring belongs in every room. Understanding the environmental demands of different spaces will guide you towards appropriate material choices.
Living Spaces (Lounge, Dining Room, Study)
Living areas are the natural home for real wood herringbone—whether solid or engineered. These rooms typically maintain stable temperature and humidity, and they are where the warmth, texture, and authenticity of genuine timber can be fully appreciated.
Engineered wood is the pragmatic choice for most living spaces, offering the genuine wood surface with enhanced stability and compatibility with modern heating systems. Solid wood remains the choice for purists and for period-appropriate restorations, acknowledging the additional installation complexity.
Hallways and Landings
Hallways present specific challenges. They are high-traffic zones, often with direct access to the outside, meaning shoes, moisture, and grit are constant factors. The flooring here must be durable and forgiving.
Engineered wood, as well as solid parquet with a robust lacquered finish handles hallway conditions well, as does quality LVT or SPC. If selecting wood, a matte or low-sheen finish will disguise the micro-scratches that inevitably accumulate in high-traffic routes.
Kitchens
Kitchens combine multiple risk factors for wood flooring: standing water from spills and splashes, dropped utensils and crockery, heavy foot traffic, and temperature fluctuations from cooking.
While engineered wood can certainly be installed in kitchens, it requires vigilant maintenance. Spills must be wiped promptly; felt pads must protect against dropped objects. For those who prefer a more forgiving kitchen floor, LVT or SPC herringbone offers complete water resistance and superior impact resistance without sacrificing the herringbone aesthetic .
Bathrooms and Cloakrooms
Bathrooms are the most demanding environment in any home. High humidity, direct water contact, and rapid temperature changes (think hot showers on cold mornings) create conditions that will challenge even the most stable engineered wood.
For bathrooms and downstairs cloakrooms, LVT or SPC herringbone is strongly recommended. These materials are impervious to water, will not warp or cup with humidity changes, and provide a warm, comfortable surface underfoot . The visual continuity of matching herringbone pattern from hallway into cloakroom can be achieved without compromising on practicality.
Basements
Basement rooms, increasingly common in London as homeowners excavate to create additional living space, present unique challenges. Below-ground rooms are inherently more humid and prone to damp than above-ground spaces, even with effective tanking and ventilation.
Again, LVT and SPC are the safest choices for basement installations. If wood is specified, engineered wood with a robust moisture barrier and careful attention to subfloor preparation is essential.
Expert Tip: Consider creating visual flow by using the same herringbone pattern in different materials across your home. For example, engineered wood in living areas and hallways, transitioning to LVT herringbone in the same colourway for kitchen and bathroom. The pattern unifies the spaces while the materials are optimised for each environment.
9. Heating and Wiring: The Bigger Picture
Installing a new floor creates a rare opportunity—the chance to address services that are normally inaccessible. Before a single herringbone block is laid, consider what else might need attention.
Underfloor Heating
If underfloor heating has ever been on your wish list, the moment you lift old flooring is the time to install it. Retrofitting underfloor heating later means lifting and likely destroying your new herringbone floor.
Engineered wood, LVT, and SPC are all compatible with underfloor heating when installed according to manufacturer specifications. As for solid parquet in general, it is not advisable to be installed on top of underfloor heating system. Some manufacturers claim that their solid timber is compatible with underfloor heating, but in reality you would need to perform nearly impossible humidity & temperature management. In either case, you should remember one thing, temperature of the sub-floor should never exceed 27 Degrees Celsius.
Wet underfloor heating systems (pipes embedded in screed) involve significant upheaval but offer the most efficient long-term operation. Electric underfloor heating mats provide a thinner, less disruptive option for retrofit situations, though running costs are higher.
Read more about Underfloor Heating and Wooden Flooring
Radiator Relocation
Many London homeowners inherit radiator placements that are, frankly, inexplicable. Radiators positioned beneath windows made sense when windows were single-glazed and draughty; with modern double or triple glazing, that logic no longer holds.
Moving radiators to internal walls frees up window walls for furniture placement and creates a cleaner, more intentional room layout. This work must be completed before flooring installation, as pipework may need to be chased into walls or run beneath the finished floor.
Electrical Works
Those extension leads snaking across your skirting boards are telling you something: your socket placement doesn’t match how you actually use the room. Lifting floors (and potentially skirting boards) provides access to run new cabling to exactly where you need sockets, data points, or TV connections.
Consider floor sockets in larger rooms or open-plan spaces. A flush-fitting floor socket in a herringbone floor allows lamps or charging points in the centre of the room without trailing cables. These must be planned and the back boxes installed before flooring commences.
Expert Tip: Create a “services wish list” before meeting with your flooring specialist. Even if you are not proceeding with all items immediately, knowing what might be required later allows for provision to be made. Running empty conduit beneath a floor for future cables costs very little during installation but saves enormous disruption later.
10. Schedule and Timing: Planning for Success
Herringbone flooring installation rarely happens in isolation. It is typically one element of a broader renovation, and getting the sequence right is critical to protecting your investment.
The Correct Order of Works
The golden rule of renovation sequencing: work from the top down, and from messy to clean. Plumbing and electrical first-fix work comes earliest—this is when walls are chased, pipes are run, and back boxes are installed. Next comes plastering and any wet trades, which generate significant dust and moisture. Decorating follows—walls and ceilings are painted, creating a clean canvas.
Only then does flooring installation commence. Flooring should be among the very last elements installed, after all wet trades have fully dried and before final decoration touches like hanging pictures or fitting curtains .
Installing flooring earlier in the sequence exposes it to damage from dropped tools, paint spills, and contractor traffic. While protection can be laid, the risk remains.
Acclimatisation
Real wood flooring—both solid and engineered—must be acclimatised to the property before installation. This means the unopened packs of flooring are brought into the room where they will be installed and left for a period (typically 5-7 days, though manufacturer guidance varies) to adjust to the ambient temperature and humidity.
Acclimatisation cannot be rushed. Installing wood flooring that has not properly acclimatised risks excessive expansion or contraction after installation, leading to gaps, cupping, or buckling.
Lead Times
Quality herringbone flooring may not be off-the-shelf product. Bespoke finishes, specific grades, or imported materials may have lead times of 6-12 weeks from order to delivery. Similarly, skilled herringbone installers are in high demand in London, and their availability may be booked weeks or months in advance.
Factor these lead times into your project planning from the outset. The flooring should be ordered and delivery confirmed before any work that depends on it (like kitchen installation, which often sits on top of the finished floor).
The Curing Period
For fully bonded wood herringbone, adhesive requires time to cure before the floor can accept foot traffic. This is typically 12-24 hours depending on the adhesive and environmental conditions . For on-site finished solid wood floors, the sanding and finishing process adds several additional days during which the floor is completely inaccessible.
If you are living in the property during works, you must plan around these periods of inaccessibility.
Expert Tip: Begin sourcing your flooring and securing your installer at least 3-4 months before your target installation date. This allows time for sampling, decision-making, ordering, delivery, and scheduling. Last-minute flooring decisions almost always involve compromise on either product or installer quality.
11. Access and Furniture: The Practical Realities
The final consideration is perhaps the most immediately disruptive: what happens to your furniture and possessions while the floor is being installed?
The Ideal Scenario
The ideal scenario, however impractical it may seem, is an empty property. No furniture, no belongings, no occupants. The installers have unrestricted access to the entire floor area, work proceeds efficiently, and there is no risk of damage to possessions.
For major renovations, this is often achievable—you may already be decanted to alternative accommodation. For smaller projects or single-room installations, complete emptiness is rarely feasible.
Furniture Removal and Storage
If you are remaining in the property but clearing the room(s) being floored, you have several options. Moving furniture to other rooms is the simplest approach, but this requires sufficient space elsewhere in the property and the physical ability to move heavy items.
For larger projects or when space is limited, professional removal and storage should be considered. Many London firms offer short-term storage solutions specifically for renovation projects. While this adds cost, it protects your furniture and allows the flooring work to proceed without compromise.
Phased Installation
If completely clearing the space is impossible, discuss phased installation with your flooring contractor. This involves working in sections—clearing one half of the flooring area, installing flooring, allowing it to cure, then moving furniture onto the completed area/room while the remainder is installed. Please note that having limited space to work on, often comes with significant limitations of the entire herringbone project.
Phased installation inevitably extends the project duration and increases labour costs. The installers must make multiple visits or work around furniture that remains in situ. It also creates practical challenges for finishing, as the boundary between phases may require additional attention.
Finishing Considerations for Solid Wood
If you have chosen solid wood herringbone that requires on-site sanding and finishing, the access and furniture equation becomes even more challenging. Sanding generates fine dust that will infiltrate every crevice of the property. Finishes—whether lacquer, oil, hard wax oil or staining—require curing time and often emit odours that may be unpleasant to inhale.
For on-site finished floors, temporary relocation is strongly recommended, simply because the only way to achieve smooth & uniform finish throughout is to apply the finish onto the entire flooring area at the same time.
What Cannot Be Moved
Some elements simply cannot be relocated. Kitchen islands, fitted wardrobes, and bathroom suites are fixed. Your installer will work around these, but the flooring installation around fixed elements is more time-consuming and may result in more visible joints or transitions.
If you are planning a new kitchen or fitted furniture, the ideal sequence is: flooring installed throughout the room, then kitchen or furniture installed on top of the finished floor. This creates the cleanest visual result and allows for future layout changes without exposing unfinished subfloor.
Expert Tip: If you must remain in the property during works, establish a “clean corridor” agreement with your installer. This is a protected route through the property—typically using protective sheeting and hardboard—that allows you to access essential rooms (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom) without walking on the new floor or through works areas.
Conclusion: A Floor for Life
Installing herringbone parquet flooring represents a significant investment—of money, time, and emotional energy. Yet when all eleven considerations have been thoughtfully addressed, the result is more than just a floor. It is a foundation for daily life, a backdrop for decades of memories, and a permanent enhancement to your home’s character and value.
The decisions outlined in this guide—from material selection to block size, from colour to subfloor preparation, from scheduling to furniture logistics—each contribute to the success of the finished floor. Rushing any one of them risks compromising the others.
At Luxury Wood Flooring, we have guided London homeowners through these decisions for over 20 years. Our expertise spans every aspect of herringbone flooring: advising on the right material for your space and lifestyle, supplying quality solid and engineered wood herringbone from trusted mills, preparing subfloors to exacting standards with appropriate damp-proofing or acoustic treatments, installing your floor with the craftsmanship that herringbone demands, and providing the aftercare guidance that ensures your floor endures for generations.
Whether you are restoring a period property in Kensington, modernising a warehouse conversion in Clerkenwell, or simply seeking to transform a single room in your family home, we invite you to visit our London showroom or arrange a home consultation. Seeing, touching, and discussing your options with experienced professionals is the surest path to a herringbone floor that you will love for a lifetime.
Contact Luxury Wood Flooring or call our London team on 02084580201 to begin your exciting herringbone journey.
