If you’re looking for a floor that will bring texture, pattern and a designer look into your home, a block wooden floor is hard to beat. The classic staggered herringbone pattern that’s so popular at the moment is achieved using parquet wood flooring. If you want a more symmetrical, uniform look, Chevron wood flooring is the one to consider. Both designs are currently enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity and will introduce an elegant, decorative element into the home.
The decorative pattern of an oak chevron wooden floor
Chevron blocks are a variation of parquet flooring. Rather than featuring straight ends they are angled and cut into a point. When the points of the chevron meet, they create a precise, continuous zig zag pattern. In contrast, the rectangular ends of a parquet block create a staggered herringbone pattern.
The straight orderly lines of a chevron wooden floor
The classic Herringbone design of a parquet block wooden floor
Wood flooring blocks were used for the first time in 1539, in the Francois I Gallery in the Chateau de Fontainebleau in France. Chevron and parquet flooring continued to grow in popularity and they were used extensively in the rebuilding of Paris in the 19th Century. In the 1930’s wood flooring declined in popularity with the advent of cheap synthetic carpets but tastes changed again in the 1980’s and 90’s when wood returned as a favourite flooring material. Chevron, is also known as Point De Hongrie, taking it’s name from an embroidery stitch popular in the 16th Century. It is now a very desirable look and is seen as a mark of quality and craftsmanship.
This floor was designed so the point of the inverted V sits in the middle of the stairs
Chevron floor is one of the most complicated floors to lay, so it’s important to employ an experienced, reputable fitter. With a parquet herringbone floor, the blocks butt up against each other, so it almost becomes a woven floor. With chevron, the straight, uniform pattern runs in a single row, so there isn’t anything to support the edges. Care must be taken to ensure that the angle of the floor remains consistent and that the blocks fit tightly together. The overall look of the floor will be compromised if the lines aren’t straight. We have fitted countless parquet and chevron floors, further examples of our work can be seen via our project blogs.
This chevron floor incorporates a step
This chevron floor has one small border to frame the fireplace
The beautiful chevron pattern creates a clean, orderly look. Used without a border the blocks run seamlessly under the skirting, giving the floor a pure, refined look as seen here. In contrast, a border will frame the design and highlight the shape of the room. Where possible, we always recommend enhancing the look of a border with mitred corners.
It’s now possible to buy chevron boards, which feature sections of pre-laid chevron flooring. These are a great option and will look authentic if it’s a well made product, that’s fitted with precision. If the ends of the boards don’t line up, the look of the floor will be compromised. An experienced fitter will make sure that the middle of the room is perfectly aligned, so if there are any discrepancies, they appear at the edge of the room where they will be covered by furniture.
As with all wood flooring, it’s vital that the subfloor is in a good, solid condition. No matter how expensive or well made the wood flooring is, if the subfloor isn’t level or is compromised in any way, it will affect the performance and look of the floor. We always arrange a site visit before fitting any flooring, so we can determine the condition of the subfloor and then advise if any extra improvement works need to be undertaken. More advice on subfloor levelling can be found on our recent blog post.
We can advise and carry out subfloor improvement work
If you are considering installing a chevron or parquet wooden floor in your home and would like to discuss the options, we would be happy to help.
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