Herringbone floor fitting in Smethwick: LVT and engineered wood, set out from the centre line, cut by hand, borders finished properly.
Herringbone is the pattern that punishes a rushed fitter. It is set out from a centre line across the room. If that line is a degree out, the error grows all the way to the wall. In a Victorian Smethwick room where no two walls are parallel, that setting out is the whole skill.
A herringbone in a Smethwick terrace usually goes into the hall or a knocked-through front room. In both, the pattern has to line up with the way you walk in, not with the nearest wall. The hall is the harder of the two. It is long, narrow and seen end to end, so any drift in the pattern shows from the front door.
Twice the cuts, twice the setting out and no room for error. The pattern amplifies any mistake in the first line all the way across the room, so it is slow, careful work rather than difficult work.
Yes, and often better than people expect. In a small Smethwick front room a herringbone floor with a simple border makes the space look considered rather than cramped.
Roughly twice as long as plank fitting the same area, and the setting out is a good part of the first day. We would rather spend that time than get the first line wrong.
Yes, and it suits one. The pattern is set out from the front door so it looks straight all the way along. A border down each side hides the fact that the walls wander. In a Smethwick terrace they usually do.
Not always. A border frames the pattern and covers an uneven wall line, which helps in older rooms. In a straight, square room the pattern can run into the skirting on its own.
The size of the room, the number of walls and corners, the border and the material. The setting out takes the most time, so a straight, simple room costs less than one with bays and alcoves.
01Laid from the middle out | Centre line struck first and worked outwards, so the pattern is symmetrical and the cuts land at the edges. |
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02Cut by hand at the borders | Perimeter cuts made to the actual wall, which in a Smethwick terrace is rarely straight. |
03Borders and blocks | A double or single border where the room suits it, which frames the pattern and hides the irregular wall. |
04LVT or engineered wood | Both work. LVT for kitchens and bathrooms, engineered wood for living rooms and halls. |
05Halls set out from the front door | In a long terrace hall the pattern is lined up with the view from the front door, so it runs true the whole way down. |
06Send these first | A photo of the hall or room from the doorway, and the approximate size. Say whether you want LVT or engineered wood. If the walls look uneven, tell us. The border is planned around them. |
Send a photo or a quick video of the room on WhatsApp and we'll see if we can quote you over the phone, or fill in the form and it opens your email ready to send.
