Parquet floors have made a huge comeback and if you’re not lucky enough to have original parquet hiding under your carpets, then engineered herringbone flooring is the way to go. This blog post clarifies some of the confusion around herringbone flooring to guide you through the decision process when choosing new flooring for your home.
What’s the difference between herringbone and parquet?
Parquet are blocks of wood arranged in a regular geometric pattern. Parquet refers to the shape of the wood which are smaller in size than planks. Herringbone is just one style of pattern of laying parquet. The blocks of wood overlap each other in a ‘V’ pattern named after the skeleton of a Herring. The Herringbone pattern is often confused further with chevron. With a chevron pattern, the parquet blocks are angled so that the tips join together flush rather than overlapping. Which one you go for is really down to personal style… herringbone flooring is stylishly timeless whereas chevron flooring has cleaner lines and is more contemporary.
Photo by Brian O’Tuama Architects – Chevron parquet
Photo by BoConcept Notting Hill – Herringbone parquet
Can I get different finishes?
Yes!! Parquet flooring comes in a variety of different finishes as well as sizes. You can go with the classic natural oak or walnut or wood that’s been stained grey or white for a brighter finish. Dark flooring has also made a comeback recently and I love LOVE wood flooring which has been stained or painted black. Ebony is illegal to trade and so you cannot buy black wood flooring unless it’s been charred to appear black. There’s a fabulous Japanese method called Shou-Sugi-Ban – it’s expensive but AH-mazing. Flooring Republic have a great selection of herringbone parquet flooring and here’s just a few to give you an idea of the choices available…
Why choose engineered flooring?
I have a whole post about engineered flooring. But in a nutshell, engineered flooring is easier to lay and far less likely to warp than solid wood flooring. If you do choose to go with solid parquet flooring then do get a professional in to lay it for you. The wood will need to climatize in the room where it’ll be laid for at least 48 hours. This will minimise it’s chances of warping once it’s laid. Whether you choose engineered or solid parquet flooring, I have a top tip for you. Buy all the wood you need in one batch and get it laid in one go by the same person. Similarly to tiles or wallpaper, different batches can vary slightly and so it’s always good to buy all the flooring you need in one go! I’ve also heard of a large parquet floor being laid by different carpenters in sections and each section ending up looking quite different to each other – a disaster! With any form of craftsmanship, it’s best not to have too many cooks ; )
Just take a look at these spaces for some inspiration…
Photo by Mark Dodge Design
Photo by Sigmar
Photo by Candelaria Design Associates
Photo courtesy of Summer Thornton
Photo by FORM – Design Studio
Photo by State Of The Art Wood Floor Gallery Corp
Natalia xo
*This is a collaborative post
