Chevron Parquet: Flooring patterns that win points for elegance

Having a distinctive and unique wood floor in one or more rooms is on many homeowners’ wish lists. For some people considering a refurbishment project or a new build, the best design choice to make a style statement is chevron parquet flooring.

This guide to chevron parquet floors explains what they are, but also the sort of buying options and interior design ideas that you can choose from.

How chevron parquet flooring is made

There are many ways to create a bespoke wood floor in your home, using standard flooring materials supplied in strips of various lengths. The finished floor has a soothing flow of parallel lines across the surface.

Parquet flooring involves much smaller “tiles”. These are laid out across the floor in symmetrical patterns, according to a wide variety of design options. Some parquet layouts are highly intricate, using tiny wood tiles to create geometric patterns.

This is a flooring design technique that has been used in grand residencies around the world – such as the Palace of Versailles – for many years. The word “parquet” actually comes from the French word for “a small compartment”.

A parquet floor can look extremely elegant in a contemporary setting. Or, with the right floor colour, finish and design, parquet flooring can be funky, fun or rustic, to match your interior design preferences.

Within the recent resurgence of parquet floors, two primary styles have emerged – chevron and herringbone. One of the most widely asked questions is, what’s the difference between herringbone and chevron parquet flooring?

The quickest answer is, that it’s all in the “zig” and the “zag”!

Chevron is when the design includes uniform and eye-catching V-shapes, that flow beautifully across the surface of the floor. The wood tiles – whether they are hardwood or engineered wood – are cut into distinctive shapes, with sharp points, to create defined symmetrical angles.

On the other hand, herringbone flooring is not cut into this angular arrangement. It is rectangular tiles, laid into parquet flooring designs. The visual difference is that herringbone parquet doesn’t have the distinctive points that define a chevron zig zag effect.

Tips on buying parquet floors in chevron designs

As this flooring design is more complex than other options, it does need more care when it comes to its specifications.

The key to success is to only buy parquet flooring from a reputable supplier, who provides quality materials. It’s also important to have this flooring installed to a high standard. With both of those factors covered, your parquet flooring will be as robust and hardwearing as simpler, parallel strip designs.

You have various options to choose from, in the basic flooring materials used. This includes hardwood and engineered wood, but also reclaimed chevron parquet. What does that involve? Well, reclaimed chevron parquet is flooring created from wood that has been already used for another purpose. The benefit is that your flooring is pre-aged and has already stood the test of time. Reclaimed wood can be superb quality and look amazing, as well as lending itself well to being cut into those distinctive chevron shapes.

Design features and tips for chevron parquet flooring

One of the advantages of a chevron design in your floor, is that it can play tricks on the eye. It creates an optical illusion that can make smaller rooms look larger and more spacious!

The strange thing is, that herringbone floor designs can have the opposite effect, fooling the eye to see rooms as smaller. (Which is handy in large, cavernous spaces.)

Whichever type of parquet wood tile you choose, the overall effect suggests luxury and sophistication.

The choices of shades and finishes of this type of wood flooring are extensive. The range includes everything from dark French Oak chevron which creates superior elegance, to much lighter colours that look pretty and soothing.

It is possible to get creative with this style of flooring too, installing the tiles in patterns to suit your own preferences. You can even vary with layout to match each room, and to zone certain areas. So for example, the chevrons could be laid in a way that draws attention to your fireplace, or a feature window.

Which rooms look best with chevron parquet?

The quick answer to that questions is, that’s all a matter of taste!

However, there are some generally held views on the topic, that could influence which flooring material you use to create your chevron effect floor.

For example, if you select hardwood flooring, the parquet design will be particularly brilliant at standing the test of time in hallways, or any other rooms with high footfall.

You may prefer to save money, and buy engineered wood chevron parquet. Engineered wood is a composite of natural wood fibres and manufactured substrates. The cost is lower than solid wood. However, it is still a strong and beautiful solution for home flooring.

Engineered wood chevron parquet is a fabulous option for rooms with underfloor heating systems. It retails its flawless finish despite changes in temperature and offers excellent insulation properties that create energy efficiency.

Another common query in relation to this flooring choice, is whether it is suitable for bathrooms and kitchens. Parquet flooring in a chevron design – or any other pattern – is often recommended for general living rooms, rather than for spaces that could be subject to high moisture levels. Long term exposure to splashes of water, condensation and other environmental factors can be an issue.

However, that hinges on the quality of the materials and floor installation too, as the right supplier can offer products that perform excellently in all rooms.

Caring for chevron parquet flooring

As mentioned above, this flooring design option can be just as robust as simpler wood floors designs. It is also just as easy to clean and maintain.

Cleaning a parquet floor (in any pattern) involves light sweeping with a soft bristled brush. You should wipe spills up quickly with a micro fibre cloth or mop. Use specialist cleaning products that are formulated to be gentle, and the absolute minimum amount of water, to occasionally clean any wood based flooring material.

One serious note of caution though. Chevron parquet flooring can be problematic to restore if the quality of materials – or installation – let you down. Sanding and re-varnishing chevron floor pieces is a tricky task, as equipment has to be used gently, in various directions, to retain the integrity of the flooring.

The “point” is, that to go in the right direction with chevron parquet flooring from day one, you need to buy from ESB.