No matter what wood finish or color you choose, it is always the hardwood floor patterns that create a great impression on your home. Your floor is one of the first things that any guests or visitors are going to see by the time they enter your house. And it would be incredible to add a wow factor to your floor by incorporating intricate hardwood floor patterns and designs that will leave your guests in awe. It is, therefore, necessary to understand that, in any hardwood flooring project, selecting the best installation pattern is important. Mainly because the hardwood patterns you choose will determine how your finished flooring will look like. However, with so many options –from strips to planks, length, edges, and varying geometric patterns—it may be quite confusing to pick the right ones for your home.
While wood flooring uses almost the same material, hardwood floor patterns offer a distinct look that will greatly affect the general flow of your space. In this guide, we will show you different hardwood installation patterns, widths, and lengths, so you can decide which one is right for your home.
Hardwood Floor Patterns
There are several installation patterns for your hardwood flooring. Each pattern creates a distinct visual interest that adds character to your home.
Straight Pattern
Straight pattern or style is the most traditional and common hardwood installation pattern. Most hardwood floors in the US are installed like this. To create this pattern, you need to install the hardwood floorboards parallel to each other. The boards are laid along with the width or length of the room. Straight style or pattern creates a plain and simple, contemporary design to enhance the genuine look of the hardwood flooring. It is very straightforward; thus, it is also the least expensive amongst hardwood floor patterns.
Parquet Style
Parquet pattern gives a very sophisticated and unique character to your room. It is installed to create a specific geometric shape or pattern using hardwood floors. There are several patterns to choose from, and parquet installation is quite expensive depending on the patterns. To install, you need to lay the hardwood floor planks in a repeated geometric style or pattern. It can resemble the appearance of a checkerboard, but a variety of patterns are typically limitless. With so many patterns available, you can make a dramatic visual appeal inside your room. However, parquet tiles may be prone to damage easily. Also, depending on the pattern, it would make your home harder to sell in the future. With this, it is important to discuss installation options with a professional hardwood flooring contractor near you.
Herringbone Pattern
The herringbone pattern is probably the most popular among hardwood floor patterns today. To create a herringbone pattern, you must lay the hardwood flooring strips in a diagonal pattern or zigzag plan that appears like a twilled fabric. You can lay it out manually in a traditional manner or use pre-made square modules. Herringbone pattern builds good dimensional stability as each block or strip is installed and pressed against the other blocks, so it practically limits any movement. While this pattern is visually dramatic, it is a bad choice for small rooms as it makes the space even smaller.
There are several subsets of the herringbone pattern. These are the following:
Chevron. It is where the installers lay the floorboards in a V-shaped pattern. The blocks of the hardwood are cut on an angle and create a straight line, so each piece meets the end of another piece.
Brick. As the name implies, it has a pattern that looks like the traditional bricks. The brick pattern is simple but can easily blend well with other complicated hardwood floor patterns.
Basketweave. Most typically made from maple or oak tree, basketweave patterns are laid diagonal or parallel to the walls of your room. This pattern fits almost any room regardless of its size.
Square or Diagonal Herringbone. This pattern is in a diagonal zigzag, normally parallel with the walls of the room.
Single Herringbone. The floorboards are usually laid in an M-shaped pattern, with only one board per angle.
Double Herringbone. In this pattern, the floorboards are laid in a W shape, with two boards per angle.
Random Pattern
The random pattern gives a straightforward, parallel design that is ideal for open spaces and rectangular rooms. It is one of the most common and least expensive hardwood floor patterns available these days. The width of the blocks in every row can vary, so you can surely create a unique pattern and design in your space. With the random width of hardwood floorboards, whether narrow or wide, you can install them in a lengthwise or horizontal pattern. By mixing up the wood sizes, it allows you to create a more customized look for your room.
Diagonal Pattern
Like the straight pattern with one difference—instead of wall-to-wall installation—a diagonal pattern goes from corner to corner. It is definitely unique and adds a sense of luxury to your room without drifting away from the genuine or traditional look of hardwood. A diagonal pattern is a perfect choice if you want to hide the sins of the walls that are not straight. It also opens the space up, making small rooms look larger. However, this hardwood floor pattern has a higher installation cost.
Hardwood Floor Width
There are a few hardwood floor widths, and each option can create a huge impact on the appearance and perception of your room. It can make your space larger, cluttered, or small, and all these mainly depend on the choice you will make. Widths are available in three different sizes:
Strips
Approximately 2 ¼” wide, strips are a linear type of hardwood floor in thin width boards. They are ideal for smaller rooms as they can create an illusion of space in your room. It opens a room up, making it bigger and more spacious.
Planks
The width of the planks varies from three to seven inches. They are another type of linear wood flooring but thicker than strips. If you have smaller rooms, it is ideal to choose between 6 to 8 inches in width and no larger than these. This is because a wider hardwood flooring plank, like a 10-inch width, could overwhelm a space.
Random Widths
If you want to create more of a rustic or reclaimed look in your room, a random width wood floor is a great choice. The sizes vary depending on availability and the manufacturer’s discretion. You can order a box of flooring that has a variety of widths, so you can customize and add visual interest to your room.
Hardwood Floor Length
Flooring lengths don’t provide quite as many options as compared to floor widths. Normally, the lengths vary from one manufacturer to another. Most manufacturers sell hardwood floors with a variety of lengths in every box. Some include boards of the same length, but the cost is much higher. Some manufacturers may note on the box the proportion of each board length, so you can easily decide which one to buy.
Choosing Your Pattern
Which of these hardwood floor patterns, widths, and lengths speak to you? The right choice for your hardwood flooring is highly personal. Whichever pattern or design it would be, always think about what you really want the space to look like. And you will eventually come up with a decision for your next flooring project. However, if you still have questions, Carpet Ready is here for you. Contact us today to get a no-obligation estimate, so we can start to craft the hardwood flooring of your dreams.