Laying laminate flooring in a herringbone pattern

Inexpensive and durable laminate has long been one of the most popular types of flooring. However, it attracts not only price and convenience. Laminate parquet is also famous for its beauty and aesthetics. A pleasant look is achieved not only by a variety of patterns and colors, but also by a wide variety of ways of laying the boards.

Among all installation technologies, one of the most popular today is the installation of herringbone parquet. This style is often used in European-style interiors. Its essence is quite simple - the boards are laid at a certain angle, giving the room volume and dynamism.

Features of laminate and its installation

As mentioned above, laminate flooring can be laid in various ways. This feature is the most important tool in creating interior design. The most commonly used installation options are:

1. Straight. Cheap, fast and cheerful - the boards are simply laid right from the walls.
2. Diagonal. More complex installation, done from the corner of the room. Much more expensive than others due to the abundance of remaining samples of material.
3. Squares or mosaics. Option of medium complexity and price. Replete with a variety of possible patterns.
4. Christmas tree. A classic option for European interiors. Placed along the line of natural light.

This variety is due to the peculiarity of the structure of the coating - laminated parquet consists of individual boards that can be laid in any way you like. However, diagonal and herringbone installations require special boards with locks.

IMPORTANT! When choosing a laminate installation style, you need to consider the lighting in the room. This coating is very sensitive to the angle of incidence of light and can easily lose all its beauty if you make a mistake when creating the design.

Pros and cons of laying laminate flooring in a herringbone pattern

All types of laminated parquet installation have their strengths and weaknesses. The “Christmas tree” version also has them. In his case, the advantages are:

1. Beautiful imitation of natural parquet. The floor appears to be made from real wooden blocks coated with varnish.
2. Dynamics or expansion of space. Depending on whether the material is laid along or across the line of natural light, the room will visually add either dynamics or volume.
3. Variety of designs. Parquet has many colors and patterns that can be combined with each other. Creating your own unique design is quite simple.

But the good can never exist without the bad. Everything has its downsides, and herringbone styling is no exception. However, there is very little negativity. You will only need to look for boards with locks, which is not too difficult and will slightly expand your budget. However, this type of installation requires the presence of scraps, which slightly increases costs.

ATTENTION! Laminate does not tolerate moisture. If you want to decorate your bathroom or kitchen with a “Christmas tree” design, it’s better to pay attention to tiles that imitate parquet. There won't be a perfect resemblance, but in this case durability is more important than beauty.

How to do herringbone styling

The herringbone pattern is created by laying the boards at an angle of 90 degrees to each other. The optimal installation option is along the line of natural light. This technique allows you to visually hide the joints and create the feeling of a continuous surface.

IMPORTANT! The laminate should be allowed to sit for a day at room temperature. During this time, it will adapt to the temperature regime and it will be easier to calculate the expansion deformation.

The installation process itself is not much different from any other coating. In addition, it is quite simple even for an ordinary person who is little familiar with the field of construction and repair. It all happens like this:

• floor leveling is done if necessary;
• the surface is thoroughly cleaned;
• polyethylene and underlay are laid;
• Laminated parquet is installed.

There are only a couple of nuances that may arise during installation. For example, if a battery or other obstacle does not allow you to click the lock on the boards, you will have to put this part on glue. In addition, you need to pay close attention to the pipes. Most often, the planks they cross are also laid with glue.