Types of wooden floor laying patterns
Floor boards provide countless arrangement possibilities. It is not just about the colour of the wooden floor or the way it is finished – the way the floorboards are laid is also very important for the final aesthetic effect.
Floors made of natural wood have not gone out of fashion for decades – and it is hardly surprising, considering their numerous advantages. Wood is not only warm, completely natural material, which brings cosiness to a room, but is also timeless and elegant. Wooden floors fit in perfectly with any style – from rustic to industrial one. This enormous compositional diversity primarily results from the wide range of possibilities wood offers in terms of visual effect.
Of course, the first thing we think about when it comes to matching a floor to an interior and its style is the colour. Naturally, in this respect, wooden floors offer a really wide range of solutions, both in terms of wood species and production processes. We can therefore choose from light and bleached floorboards, all shades of brown and grey, right up to almost black, exotic wood surfaces. And then there is also the question of grain, the class of the boards (how visible the rings are, how many of them there are) and the finishing of the wooden floor – from smooth, varnished boards to rough, uneven surfaces of naturally distressed wood.
And finally, the arrangement of the floorboards which is also very important for the final design effect. An interior laid with extra-long, smooth planks in an English pattern looks completely different than a room with a herringbone parquet or the same interior with a wooden floor laid in a short brick or chequered pattern.
Most popular ways and types of wooden floors laying
what are their characteristics and in which arrangement styles they work best, which would be perfect for your room.
Brick
– it is one of the most popular patterns of wooden floor laying. Its characteristic feature is that the joints of the boards are shifted by half of their length in relation to each other. Simply put, every second board “ends” in exactly the same place. Floorboards laid in this way suit practically any room, although the brick pattern is most often used in simple, minimalist interiors.
Simple English pattern
– is also one of the most common ways to lay a wooden floor. This style of installation perfectly emphasizes the natural character of wooden boards, is the most universal and, in addition, the simplest and cheapest (optimal use of available materials). Simple English pattern is based on parallel arrangement of boards in relation to each other along or across the room. In contrast to the brick pattern, in this case it does not matter in what relation to the previous boards currently laid board “ends”.
It is perfect for both small and spacious rooms and, in addition, it allows to optically enlarge small interiors by placing the boards in the direction where the light comes from the windows. We can optically “lengthen” the floor and the entire interior and, in addition, emphasize the aesthetic qualities of wood with natural light.
English diagonal pattern
– exactly the same way of laying the boards in relation to each other as in the simple English pattern. The only difference is that the floor laid in English diagonal pattern is arranged at a 45º angle to the wall.
This style is perfect for elegant, spacious interiors, giving them a touch of luxury and uniqueness.
Herringbone
– is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable ways of laying wooden floors. The name of this pattern comes from the similarity of the boards laid in this way to the pattern of needles on fir tree branches.
Due to the fact that herringbone pattern is associated with old flats in tenement houses, nowadays it is often chosen in order to give interiors a specific patina, a note of melancholy and classic, timeless elegance. Herringbone may occur in single (classic) and double version, and in short, it comes down to laying boards of equal length at an angle to each other. It is perfect for classic interiors, mainly those of a larger space, where the floor can be properly exposed.
In small rooms, herringbone on the floor can make the impression of a specific chaos. It should be remembered, however, that this kind of floor laying is more difficult and therefore more expensive than, for example, brick.
French herringbone
– an elegant, sophisticated way of laying wooden boards, perfect for spacious interiors with a classic character, where it becomes one of the most important elements of the décor. In the past, it was even used in castles and royal palaces, which is why this layout is still associated with luxury.
Floor boards in French herringbone style, just like in other herringbone varieties, are laid diagonally to each other, but they are cut at an angle of 45º, thanks to which the whole takes on an original, zigzag pattern.
Hungarian herringbone
– For decades it has been the herringbone floor pattern that provided class and elegance to rooms. The only difference with the French herringbone is the cut angle – in this case 60º – and the floor gains a sharper and more accentuated shape.
Basket pattern
– such an arrangement of a wooden floor, also known as a chequerboard, involves installing the boards in such a way that they alternate with each other to form squares. This pattern can resemble a mosaic, especially when the boards of a small length are used to lay the floor. Similarly to the herringbone, basket style floors are best for spacious interiors, allowing adequate exposure of this unusual, geometric pattern. When it comes to interior design, however, a wooden floor with a chequered pattern works well in classic, modern, industrial or Scandinavian interiors.
When choosing a floorboard layout, it is important to remember that not every type of wood works well in every layout. Certain restrictions apply to wood that can change its volume under the influence of moisture, such as wenge, birch or beech. It is best to lay these types of wood in patterns that minimize the visibility of the wood’s natural work, such as a ladder, chequerboard or herringbone pattern. On the other hand, wood species with a low shrinkage rate (boards do not “work”, i.e. they do not shrink or loosen when exposed to humidity changes), such as oak, maple or teak, can be laid in any pattern.
It is easy to notice that the pattern of wooden floor installation can significantly affect the final appearance of a given interior.
Therefore, when deciding on a floor made of natural boards, it is worth considering not only its shade or wood texture, but also the way in which the floor will be laid. Thanks to that, we will be able both to perfectly match it to the style, in which the room is kept, and to set the tone of the interior thanks to the pattern of the boards laying.
