Herringbone & Chevron Flooring by Good Ol' Boy Hardwood Floors in Kansas City

Herringbone & Chevron Flooring in Kansas City

The pattern that makes a room. Laid so the points actually line up.

The Work

The pattern that makes a room. Laid so the points actually line up.

Herringbone is the most demanding hardwood install there is, and it is unforgiving of anyone in a hurry. Every board is cut to angle, every point has to meet its neighbour, and a fraction of a degree of drift at one end of the room becomes a visibly crooked pattern at the other. The layout has to be struck from the centre of the room and worked outward, because starting from a wall in a house where no wall is truly square guarantees the pattern runs out of line. It takes longer than a straight-lay floor and it costs more. It is also the only floor people stop and comment on.

Hardwood floor after herringbone by Good Ol' Boy Hardwood Floors Hardwood floor before herringbone by Good Ol' Boy Before After

Drag to compare before & after

What's Included

What You Get With Herringbone

Centre-struck layout

We set control lines from the room centre and dry-lay the field before fastening, so the pattern stays true to the room rather than to a crooked wall.

True herringbone or chevron

Herringbone meets at a square end, chevron is mitred to a point. They are different jobs and different costs, and we will show you both before you pick.

Borders and transitions

A border frames the field and absorbs the out-of-square at the walls. It is the detail that separates a considered floor from a busy one.

Subfloor flatness first

Pattern floors telegraph every dip. We flatten harder here than on a straight lay, because the pattern shows what a plank floor would hide.

Why It Matters

A herringbone floor is judged on whether the points line up, and that is decided in the first hour of layout, not in the finishing. Get the control lines wrong and no amount of care afterward saves it.

Good to Know

Herringbone & Chevron Flooring: Common Questions

Materially more, because it is far more labour. Every board is cut to angle and the layout takes a large part of the first day on its own. We quote it per room after seeing how square the space actually is, since that drives the waste factor.

Herringbone uses rectangular boards meeting at a square end, so the pattern staggers. Chevron mitres each board to a point so the rows form continuous Vs. Chevron costs more because of the mitre cuts and the extra waste.

Yes, and it often works better than people expect. In a small room a tighter board and a border keep the pattern from overwhelming the space. We will tell you honestly if a room is too broken up by doorways to carry it.

Real Google Reviews

What Kansas City Homeowners Say

Straight from our customers across the Kansas City metro.

"Nick was great to work with. He sanded our floor, helped us pick a new finish and sheen, and finished the floor in the allotted time. It is absolutely beautiful. Our painter was so impressed with Nick's work that he asked for his contact information so he could refer some of his clients. All around very happy."
Grace Sand & refinish, new finish + sheen
"I am so thrilled with my new floors and staircase. My old stairs were a trip hazard. Nick and his crew were amazing to install new oak treads and risers. They also installed a new oak floor at a very reasonable cost for me."
Becky Lynch New oak stair treads, risers & floor
"Nick and his crew did an excellent job refinishing old and installing new hardwood floors in my home in Platte Brook. He is very knowledgeable and very easy to work with, and his crew shares the same traits."
Steve Hotz Refinish + new install, Platte Brook

Ready for Herringbone & Chevron Flooring?

Get a free, no-pressure estimate from Kansas City’s trusted hardwood team.