Herringbone wood floor

The beauty of a Herringbone wood floor

There’s nothing quite like the elegance and sophistication of a Herringbone wood floor. Originating in the manors and castles of 16th-century Europe, this stylish pattern features floorboards of even length that are laid out at right angles to one another, forming an overlapping and zigzagging geometric pattern that introduces a pleasing sense of movement to a room.

A Herringbone wood floor can be fashioned out of any type of wood species.  At Carlisle you can also create your own color and determine what dimensions you desire so that the pattern becomes uniquely yours and perfectly highlights your interior design.

For customers that want truly distinctive wide plank Herringbone flooring, Carlisle Wide Plank Floors offers Herringbone wood floors in a wide variety of hardwoods as well as engineered wood options.

FAQs: answers to all your Herringbone wood floor questions

What is a Herringbone wood floor?

A Herringbone pattern wood floor is a hardwood floor where the floorboards are installed with a specific pattern, rather than being laid out in the traditional side-by-side arrangement. In a Herringbone pattern, each floorboard is laid out at a right angle to the next board, creating an angular geometric pattern.

What are the advantages of a Herringbone floor?

A Herringbone hardwood floor immediately elevates the visual aesthetic of a room and becomes a central focus point for the interior design. The geometry of the herringbone pattern provides a strong sense of movement and pleasing visual interest.

What wood works best with a Herringbone wood floor pattern?

Any hardwood or even a softwood like pine or reclaimed floorboards can be used to create a Herringbone wood floor. Many homeowners opt for an Oak Herringbone flooring because of the warmth, hardness and versatility of this hardwood species.

Can a Herringbone wood floor be prefinished?

Yes. A prefinished Herringbone floor enables the floorboards to be sanded, stained and sealed in the ideal conditions of the manufacturer’s facility. Prefinished boards can be treated with stronger sealants, adding an extra layer of protection against wear. And prefinishing a Herringbone floor helps make for a faster installation within the home while allowing the homeowner to skip the mess and inconvenience that usually accompanies the installation of a hardwood floor.

Can an engineered floor be installed with a Herringbone pattern?

Yes. Engineered wood floors can be easily installed with a pattern like Herringbone. In fact, Carlisle offers two engineered White Oak Herringbone floor collections that are ideal for installation over radiant heat, on concrete slabs, and in locations where the moisture level is high.

Customizing your Herringbone wood floor

With a Herringbone floor from Carlisle, you have a number of additional options – in addition to the herringbone pattern – for creating a truly one-of-a-kind hardwood floor.

Picking the wood

At Carlisle, we offer a wide variety of hardwoods, from lighter species like Ash, Brown Maple or White Maple to medium-toned woods like Birch, Hickory, White Oak and Red Oak to darker woods like Cherry and Walnut. Grain patterns vary significantly between species and certain woods offer greater density and more protection from heavy traffic.

Choosing the width

With a Herringbone wood floor, every floorboard is cut to the same width and length, but you have some choice in what those dimensions can be. A standard Herringbone floor might use planks that are 4” wide and 20” long, but you could also opt for wide Herringbone flooring with planks that are as much as 8” wide, for example.  The standard ratio is that the length of the board is 5x the width of the board.

Selecting the grade

Carlisle hardwoods are available in several grades, allowing you to choose planks that generally feature more knots and grain texture, or to opt for boards with greater consistency and fewer grain variations and knots.

Pick a color

At Carlisle, we produce stains in virtually any hue, enabling you to create a Herringbone wood floor in the color of your choice.

Why choose Carlisle for your Herringbone wood floor?

Carlisle has been among the world leaders in exquisitely handcrafted wood flooring for more than half a century. Our success and our reputation have been built on the extraordinary quality of our product and the remarkable attentiveness of our customer service.

Every floor produced by Carlisle craftsman is essentially a masterpiece in wood. Our artisans painstakingly craft every plank to ensure that every aspect is perfect, and that the final product meets our exacting standards and exceeds our customers’ expectations. We know that every detail of the floor matters, from the intricacies of the Herringbone pattern to the exact hue of the stain, and we work closely with our clients to make sure those details are perfectly rendered.

With Carlisle, you’ll get a wide plank floor that will reflect your sense of style and beauty, and that is crafted specifically for you with unmatched pride, passion and purpose.