How French herringbone differs from English
In English herringbone the end of each plank is cut square, at 90°, and the result is a broken herringbone: every plank butts its end against the side of its neighbour. In French herringbone the ends are cut at an angle, usually 45° or 60°, and a continuous line of arrows forms down the centre, a V with no steps. It is sometimes called Hungarian point or chevron.
English is simpler to make and lay, forgives uneven surfaces better and is usually cheaper. French looks stricter and more precise, but any error at the joint shows at once, so an experienced installer is needed. Both were used in classic Barcelona homes, but in current interiors English is chosen more often: it reads as herringbone and is gentler across large areas.
What plank size to choose
Plank width in herringbone is usually 70–120 mm and length 350–700 mm, with a guide ratio of 1:5–1:6. A small plank, 70×350 mm, gives the classic old pattern. A 90×540 or 120×600 mm plank looks calmer and more contemporary and suits rooms above 25 m2.
The choice depends on the room. In the Eixample, with high ceilings and long rooms, a small plank can shimmer and feel busy. A large one in a small room defeats the point of herringbone: the pattern has no space to form. Look at a 1 m2 sample on the floor of your own rooms: the scale reads better than in a photo. Engineered board is typically 14–15 mm thick, with a 3–6 mm oak wear layer.
Solid or engineered
On underfloor heating, choose engineered board. Solid wood moves with humidity and heat, and in herringbone those movements multiply: each plank expands in its own direction and joints open. Engineered board is more stable thanks to cross-laid layers and is suited to heating.
Solid wood allows repeated sanding and, in a home with no underfloor heating and a flat screed, it is justified, especially in a historic interior. But it needs exact substrate moisture and acclimatisation in the room before laying. Engineered board with a 4–6 mm wear layer allows two or three sandings, which in a home lasts decades. The two are distinguishable only at the edge; on the surface the eye cannot tell them apart.
Can herringbone go over underfloor heating
Yes, with engineered board, an adhesive rated for heated floors and a surface temperature up to 27 °C: manufacturers usually allow that as a maximum. The screed must be dry: about 2 % by the CM method for cement and close to 1.8 % if heated, with exact values given by the parquet manufacturer. The heating system is commissioned and warmed before laying according to its schedule, then cooled.
Parquet is glued across its full area with an elastic polyurethane or silane adhesive, with no voids. That spreads load evenly and the board does not flex. After laying, heating is brought back gradually, a few degrees a day, rather than jumping to working temperature. If the home is used irregularly, do not switch the heating off entirely for winter: the floor dries and opens at the joints.
Oil or lacquer for herringbone parquet
In a home, matte oil with hard wax is the usual pick: it keeps the natural look of the wood, and local scratches are treated on the spot. Lacquer, water-based polyurethane in two or three coats, gives denser protection against stains and suits high-traffic zones and pets, but is harder to repair and leaves a visible line at a chip.
Herringbone has its own quirk: planks lie at different angles, and under light lacquer reveals a chequerboard effect from glare on different grain directions. Matte oil softens that. Bevels are kept minimal or omitted: a deep bevel turns every plank into a separate object and collects dirt. Decide with a sample under your own lighting.
Does a room need a border
Almost always. A border, a frame of one to three rows of straight planks around the perimeter, solves several problems. It removes the awkward triangular offcuts along walls that spoil the pattern. It absorbs out-of-square walls in an old building: Eixample walls are rarely rectangular and herringbone on such a floor will drift. It also lets the floor go around columns, fireplaces and openings cleanly.
Herringbone is oriented with its axis along the room or the main direction of light and set out from the central axis of the doorway, not from a wall. In the long Eixample rooms with a gallery that axis stretches the space. The threshold and the joint with tile in a corridor are handled with a separate element so the pattern is not cut mid-way.
How herringbone behaves in long rooms and at sanding
Long rooms, and the Eixample has galleries of 6–8 metres, change how herringbone is perceived: across it looks wider, along it looks longer. The geometric axis should match the line of sight from the door; otherwise the pattern seems to slide sideways.
Sanding herringbone is harder than sanding straight boards: planks lie in different directions and sanding with the grain is not possible on all of them, so planetary machines and hand finishing are used. Cheap sanding leaves cross scratches. Ask the installer what equipment he uses on herringbone. In our Urgel apartment in the Eixample, herringbone parquet works alongside wood slat panels and a marble wall, and the floor pattern holds the whole interior together.
How BCN YARD can help with parquet
We choose plank, species and finish for your rooms, approve a sample under your light and run installation together with the substrate and underfloor heating. We work in Russian and Spanish, under contract with staged payments. Send us the floor plan and photos and we will reply within an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Which wood is best for herringbone parquet?
Oak is the most common: dense, stable, handsome grain and a wide range of tones. Walnut is darker and costlier but light-sensitive and fades. Ash is lighter and harder, chosen for Scandinavian interiors. For a luxury interior, oak in matte oil remains the calmest choice.
How much extra parquet to order for herringbone?
For herringbone allow 8–12 % extra for cuts, more than for straight boards, because planks are trimmed at walls and at the border. Add a little more for future replacements and keep boxes from the same batch at home: years later a different batch will not match in tone.
Can herringbone parquet be sanded?
Yes, but it is a job for a craftsman with a planetary machine and experience: planks at different angles must be levelled without cross scratches. Engineered board allows two or three sandings depending on the wear layer; solid allows more. Before sanding, check the remaining thickness in the thinnest area.