Herringbone (or fishbone) wood flooring as it’s sometimes called is a versatile, interesting and stylish alternative to simple board wood flooring. Designed to have a traditional parquet look to it, the good news about herringbone flooring in the 21st century is that you won’t need a craftsman to spend a month at your home to floor or re-floor the smallest room in the home.
Parquet flooring dates back to the 17th Century and was traditionally made from small blocks of wood that were cut by hand and laid, again by hand in a geometric pattern. While herringbone wood flooring ‘blocks’ tend to be bigger than traditional parquet flooring the idea is much the same.
In its early days, any parquet flooring would have been made from solid wood and solid wood alone. Today, while it is still possible to invest in a hand-made solid wood parquet floor, it is much more common to opt for an engineered wood flooring board that comes pre-constructed in your desired parquet/herringbone style. One of the most popular versions of this style of flooring today is herringbone engineered wood flooring.
Getting its name from the fact that the pattern created resembles a herring or fish skeleton, herringbone patterns are often found in the textile industry. Tweeds, knits and even wallpaper in this design can be found the world over. The detail of the design reveals effectively what is a broken zigzag, which is what differentiates this design from chevron, which tends to meet at the ‘v’.
When it comes to herringbone or fishbone wood flooring, at Wood and Beyond we have a broad range of options in stock and ready for dispatch right now. All of the fishbone flooring options we have are of engineered structure, which means that they’re (largely) suitable for use over under floor heating (but it’s always best to check before ordering) as well as for installation in kitchens and bathrooms. What’s more, engineered boards makes fitting this style of flooring a walk in the park. Because the boards come with the design already in place, not only do you get a perfect finish, but you get that perfect finish much quicker than you would if you were trying to create this pattern using blocks of solid wood.
With each option that we currently have in stock coming in prime grade, there is no doubt about the quality and consistency of the flooring you’ll get when you choose from this range. However, we’ve worked hard to offer something for everyone and believe we have achieved that goal. With options in oak and walnut as well as brushed, UV and double smoked, brushed finishes on offer, there truly is a broad and extensive choice. But when it comes to fishbone or herringbone flooring, where does this style of flooring work best?
Most commonly associated with use in either large or long, narrow rooms such as hallways; we believe that there really should be no rules when using this style of flooring. In fact, the only limit is likely to be your imagination! No matter whether you’re renovating an old, stone house with lots of character or flooring a new build on a budget, herringbone or fishbone flooring will help you add loads of charm, personality and interest without breaking the bank. The great thing about the engineered fishbone flooring that we have on offer is that you can even use it in kitchens and bathrooms where a traditional, solid wood floor would normally considered a complete “no-no” because of the challenges that come from the rises and falls in moisture and temperature levels.
So, no matter whether you’re looking to floor or re-floor a small, guest bedroom, downstairs loo or the whole of your house to create a uniform and stylish look, this flooring option should definitely be on your short-list. Not only does it have a clever way of making long narrow rooms seem more in proportion, but it also magically makes really small rooms seem bigger at the same time as rendering cavernous rooms less scary.
So as we say, do include this solution on your list of “possibles” and of course if you’d like help or guidance to assist you in the planning of your project, the whole team at Wood and Beyond is here for you. All you need to do is get in touch.