Herringbone Flooring Leicester: The Complete Guide

There's a reason herringbone has outlasted every flooring trend since the 17th century. The interlocking zigzag pattern catches the light differently to a straight-laid floor, makes a narrow hallway feel wider, and turns an ordinary room into one that looks considered. At Michael John Flooring we fit it in four very different materials: wood, LVT, carpet and stair runners, each suited to a different room and a different way of living.

What makes herringbone different

Herringbone blocks sit at right angles to each other, building a continuous stepped zigzag rather than a single straight V (that's chevron, a related but distinct pattern). It originated in 17th century French parquet, most famously at Versailles, and its enduring appeal comes down to one thing: it tricks the eye into reading depth and movement where a straight plank floor would just sit flat.

That's particularly valuable in the kind of period terraces you find around Clarendon Park and Stoneygate, where a herringbone floor in a hallway or front room can make a tighter space feel genuinely bigger, and equally effective in the newer open-plan kitchens going up across Oadby, Wigston and Birstall, where it adds a sense of craftsmanship to a space that might otherwise feel a bit flat.

Herringbone Wood Flooring

A herringbone wood floor is the version most people picture, and for good reason. We fit it from Woodpecker and Ted Todd, both finished in oak, both available in tones from pale and Scandinavian to dark and dramatic, and both built to last for decades rather than years.

What's worth knowing before you fall in love with a colour: herringbone wood has to be glued down rather than floated, because the smaller blocks need that extra grip to stay put. That makes fitting a bit more involved than a straight plank floor, and it's also why it pairs so well with underfloor heating, since a bonded floor transfers heat far more effectively than a floating one.

Herringbone LVT (Luxury vinyl Tile) Flooring

If you love the look but want something that can shrug off kitchen spills, school-run mud and the odd flooded washing machine, Amtico's herringbone LVT is the answer. It's fully waterproof, comes in the same warm wood tones as the real thing, and handles underfloor heating without any of the bonding considerations wood needs.

It's become a favourite for open-plan kitchen-diners precisely because it lets you carry the herringbone look through the busiest, wettest part of the house without compromise.

Herringbone Carpet

Herringbone isn't only a wood and tile pattern. In carpet, it's a weave, not a print, and it brings a completely different texture into a room: tailored and structured rather than soft and deep. We fit herringbone wool carpet from Alternative Flooring, Crucial Trading and Riviera, each with their own character, from understated British neutrals to richer, more Mediterranean colourways.

It suits a formal dining room or a study beautifully, somewhere you want warmth underfoot with a bit more polish than a standard twist pile. It's not the right choice for underfloor heating though; the pile insulates rather than lets heat through, so save it for rooms heated the conventional way.

Herringbone Carpet

This is where herringbone stops being a pattern choice and becomes a craft. Roger Oates weaves the herringbone texture directly into the runner itself, on traditional looms using British wool, rather than printing a pattern onto a flat carpet. That's what gives their runners the clean edges, the flexibility to follow a winding staircase, and the sense that you're putting something genuinely handmade on your stairs rather than something off a roll.

For a period staircase in Stoneygate or Clarendon Park, with the treads and risers left exposed and painted, it's consistently the choice that looks right rather than just fitted.

Which one is right for your room

Wood for hallways and living rooms where you want warmth and a sense of permanence. LVT for kitchens, bathrooms and anywhere life happens messily. Carpet for bedrooms, dining rooms and studies where comfort and a bit of formality matter more than practicality. Stair runners for a staircase that deserves to be a feature rather than an afterthought.

Why Michael John Flooring

We've been fitting flooring across Leicester since 1946, and herringbone is one of the patterns where that experience genuinely shows. It's a less forgiving install than a straight plank or a standard fitted carpet, and our in-house fitting team, the same one Davidsons Homes named Customer Services Contractor of the Year, handles it across all four materials in this guide.

Visit our showrooms on Narborough Road or The Parade in Oadby, to see herringbone in wood, LVT, carpet and stair runners in person.