Herringbone Floors

In the United Kingdom, the term Herringbone is frequently used to refer to all types and styles of parquetry. In fact, there are over 20 different parquet flooring patterns available, each with hundreds of design variations. Some of these designs, such as Versailles and Chantilly, can be traced back to the 16th century. Basket weave, Chevron, Wood Strip, Mosaic, and Chequerboard are just a few of the other popular designs.

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Herringbone is a block pattern named after the way the bones of the herring fish are aligned, as the name suggests. The pattern was first used in flooring during the Roman period, when it was used to layout clay bricks or rectangular stones. The overlapping pattern was discovered by early architects and builders to add strength and resilience to the structure.

The first examples of wooden herringbone flooring are from the early 16th century. In grand halls and ceremonial rooms, architects and designers, particularly in France, began to use solid wooden blocks to create the pattern. Researchers believe it replaced marble because it was simple to maintain and sections could be lifted and replaced as they wore or were damaged. The tongue and groove system was also first introduced around this time.

Verticalherringbone construction techniques were used to strengthen walls during the Tudor period, and can be seen at well-known locations such as Hampton Court Palace in London. These patterns are still used in brickpaving today and have clearly withstood the test of time, dating back at least 2000 years.