Oak by Woodez | For designers, architects and builders

Herringbone and chevron are the most requested pattern floors in high-end residential work, and the least forgiving. A plank floor hides small errors in set-out. A pattern floor shows every one of them across the whole room.

This guide covers what separates the two patterns, how to plan the layout, how much extra to order, and what to resolve on site before the first board is laid.

Herringbone vs chevron: what is the difference?

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Both patterns use short boards laid in alternating directions. The difference is in the ends.

Herringbone uses boards with square-cut ends, laid at a right angle to each other so the ends butt against the long edge of the next board. The result is the broken zigzag most people picture.

Chevron uses boards with angled ends, so the ends meet to form a continuous, unbroken V. It reads cleaner and more directional, and it needs more precise cutting at every wall and threshold.

In both cases the boards are supplied as left-hand and right-hand pieces, so the pattern depends on laying the two in the correct sequence. Oak by Woodez is available in planks, herringbone and chevron, with herringbone supplied at 600 x 120 x 15mm. Check the spec sheet for the format you are specifying.

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Plan the layout before you order?

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The set-out decides how the finished floor looks. Settle these points on the drawings, not on site:

Start line. Most pattern floors are set out from a centre line, not from a wall, so the pattern is balanced across the room and any cut boards at the edges are the same on both sides. Choose the line based on the main sightline, usually the entry or the longest run of the space.

Direction. The point of the pattern should lead the eye somewhere deliberate, along the main axis of the room or toward a view. Confirm direction early, because it changes how the pattern meets walls and thresholds.

Out-of-square rooms. Walls are rarely square. Setting out from the centre line shows this clearly, and the cut at the wall absorbs it. A border or frame of plank boards around the perimeter is a common detail that handles out-of-square walls cleanly and gives the pattern a defined edge.

Transitions and continuity. Decide where the pattern stops and starts. Through doorways, the pattern should line up room to room, or break at a deliberate, detailed threshold. Stairs, joinery returns, stone and kitchen islands all create edges where the pattern has to resolve.

Dry lay. Lay out a section of boards before fixing anything. This confirms the left and right pieces, the start line and the look of the pattern in the actual light of the room.

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Waste: why pattern floors need more?

A pattern floor uses more material than a plank floor of the same area. Every board cut at a wall produces an offcut, and because left-hand and right-hand boards are not interchangeable, offcuts cannot always be reused on the opposite side of the room. Chevron generates more waste than herringbone because every angled end is cut to suit.

The allowance depends on room shape, the number of walls and thresholds, and whether a border is used. Rooms with angles, bay windows or many openings need more. ‍

Two practical points:

• Order the full quantity in one batch, including the allowance, so colour and finish match across the whole floor.
• Keep spare boards after installation. A pattern floor cannot be repaired from random offcuts, and a matching batch is hard to source later.

Subfloor and installation

Pattern floors are less forgiving of poor subfloors, because small variations in level show up as lippage across many board ends.

• Flatness. Prepare the subfloor to the flatness tolerance in the installation guide, and correct it before the floor goes down.
• Moisture. Test the subfloor and confirm it is within the stated limits. Moisture problems cannot be fixed after installation.
• Acclimatisation. Allow the boards to adjust to site conditions before installation, as set out in the guide.
• Method. Oak by Woodez boards can be direct stick, glued and secret nailed, or floated, depending on the product and the subfloor. Confirm the approved method for the specific pattern format in the installation guide before you specify, because a pattern floor depends on every board staying exactly where it was laid.
• Expansion. Leave the perimeter expansion gaps the guide requires, and plan how they are covered by skirtings and thresholds.
• Installer experience. Pattern floors are a specialist task. Ask who is laying the floor and see examples of their previous herringbone or chevron work.

Because Oak by Woodez boards arrive pre-finished with WOCA UV hardwax oil, there is no sanding or coating after installation, so the quality of the set-out and the fit is what you see on day one.

A checklist for specifiers

Before signing off a pattern floor, confirm:

• A set-out drawing showing the start line, pattern direction and border detail
• How the pattern resolves at doorways, stairs, joinery and stone
• The waste allowance, and that the full quantity is ordered from one batch
• Spare boards held for future repairs
• The approved installation method for the format
• Subfloor flatness and moisture results
• A sample panel or dry lay approved on site, in the room's own light
• The installer's experience with pattern floors
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Specifying Oak by Woodez

Spec sheets, installation guides and care guides are available for every colour in the range. To see herringbone and chevron boards in person, request a designer sample box or visit the showroom at 209 Albion Street, Surry Hills.

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