{"id":10410,"date":"2018-06-19T10:25:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T17:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saroyanhardwoods.com\/?p=10410"},"modified":"2018-06-25T15:30:08","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T22:30:08","slug":"herringbone-hardwood-floor-origins-materials-and-modern-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saroyanhardwoods.com\/herringbone-hardwood-floor-origins-materials-and-modern-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"Herringbone Hardwood Floor Origins, Materials and Modern Designs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The herringbone pattern<\/b> is a geometric arrangement of rectangles named for a resemblance to the well-defined bone structure of the herring fish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Herringbone patterns in flooring are usually rectangles, but can also be parallelograms. The edge length ratios are usually 2:1, and sometimes 3:1, but the length of the piece is easily customizable depending upon the desired aesthetic of your project.<\/span>As one of the original parquet flooring patterns, the herringbone style draws inspiration from the look of intricate brickwork designs from centuries-old churches and other distinguished structures. With an angled turn of hardwood planks, the herringbone floor pattern creates geometric designs to give interesting detail and draw the eye to the floor, elevating the atmosphere of the room design.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before you integrate this incredible hardwood floor design into your project, take a few minutes to learn of its origins, favored materials and modern interpretations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Origins of Herringbone Hardwood Floors<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The beautiful herringbone pattern has been utilized at numerous key points in history, in everything from road design to jewelry. Roadways across the Roman Empire, for example, were all wisely constructed using herringbone brickwork patterns. Jewelry designs with strong herringbone accents were even noted during the study of the Ancient Egyptians. Using herringbone for hardwood flooring patterns, however, did not occur until much later. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the late 1600s, maintenance-heavy marble floors were replaced with the first type of parquet flooring, called parquet de Versailles as it was the chosen design for the Palace of Versailles. Herringbone hardwood flooring was designed soon after to mimic the appearance of ancient brickwork used to create iconic churches and other buildings. The most notable of which is il Duomo, or the dome of the breathtaking Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, which is located in Florence, Italy. The rich history of the herringbone pattern for hardwood floors makes it a truly timeless choice for both residential and commercial building designs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Differences Between Chevron and Herringbone Hardwood Flooring Styles<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the rich history of herringbone floors, they are still confused with chevron styles quite often. Unlike more intricate parquet flooring designs, the herringbone and chevron style floors feature small rectangular hardwood planks of the same size throughout the design. The planks are turned 90 degrees to each other to create a staggered arrow pattern. The pattern is best known to resemble the bones of a herring, a fish easily found in shallow to deep ocean waters.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main difference between herringbone and chevron is the cut angle at the ends of each plank. Herringbone floors have straight edge to create the staggered pattern, while an angled edge for the chevron floors allows the design to follow a straight point for each row of hardwood planks. The less rigid structure of the herringbone pattern lends itself well to the use of two contrasting hardwood types to elevate the overall floor design.<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Materials Used for Herringbone Designs<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There are many different types of hardwoods you can use to create your perfect floor layout using the herringbone style. Each hardwood material has its own wood grain and color expression patterns, so it pays to understand the options available to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Common, high-quality hardwoods that work best with herringbone patterns include:<\/span><\/p>\n