How to Do a Wood Herringbone Floor

Make sure the flooring pattern runs in the direction of the longest section of the room. Alternatively, it can be positioned to point to a feature such as the main entrance, a window or a fireplace.

Measure the room to ascertain the center point of the floor. Draw a chalk line down the length of the floor to mark the central point. This will be the center of the pattern. Draw secondary guidelines on either side of the central line, at a distance of 23.8 millimeters from the central line.

Apply adhesive to the center of the floor with a trowel. Work at an angle of 45 degrees, only covering small areas at a time to prevent the adhesive from drying out before you apply the flooring slats. The amount of adhesive the trowel teeth leave is a sufficient amount.

Position the first slat so its left top corner is positioned on the secondary guideline to the left of the central guideline and the right top corner of the slat is positioned on the secondary guideline to the right of the central line. Press the slat firmly into the adhesive. Position the second slat under the first, aligning it with the secondary guidelines. Continue until you have one central row of slats. When you reach the end of the first row, the final slat will usually need to be cut to fit.

Measure the distance between the last whole slat in the row and the wall. Cut the final slat for the row to the correct length. Fit the final slat at the edge of the room, leaving a 6 millimeter gap between the end of the last slat and the wall, to allow for expansion.

Nail the first row of slats into place to ensure all are properly secured.

Install the second row of slats to face toward the first row. Again, the top left corner will be positioned on the secondary guideline to the left of the central line and the top right corner on the secondary guideline on the right of the central one. However, this second row will simply slide into the correct position due to the placement of the first row.

Continue to lay rows of slats until the floor is covered. Check the alignment of the slats every four or five rows to ensure the flooring is still square. Wait 24 hours before repositioning furniture on the new floor.