Herringbone and Chevron Flooring: Is the Pattern Worth It?
A patterned floor is the fastest way to make a room look designed rather than furnished. It's also the fastest way to double an installation budget, and the two facts deserve equal billing before anyone commits.
Here's the difference between the two patterns people confuse constantly, what the premium actually costs, and the rooms where it earns its money.
Quick Answer
Herringbone lays rectangular planks at 90 degrees to each other in a staggered zig-zag, with each plank's end meeting the next plank's side. Chevron uses planks cut at an angle so the ends meet point to point, forming continuous unbroken V shapes. Both typically cost roughly double a straight-lay installation in labor - around $8-10 per square foot versus $4-5 - and require 15% waste rather than 10%. The premium is worth it in entryways, dining rooms, and feature spaces where the floor is meant to be noticed, and harder to justify in bedrooms or spaces that will be mostly covered by furniture and rugs.
Herringbone or Chevron? The Difference in One Table
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Herringbone |
Chevron |
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Plank cut |
Standard rectangular planks, cut square |
Planks cut at an angle (typically 45 or 60 degrees) at both ends |
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How they meet |
The end of one plank meets the side of the next, creating a staggered, broken zig-zag |
Angled ends meet point to point, forming a continuous, unbroken V |
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Visual effect |
Traditional, textured, busier - reads as classic parquet |
Cleaner, more modern, strongly directional - the V draws the eye along the room |
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Cost |
High - precise layout and many cuts |
Highest - angled cuts on every plank, or purpose-cut planks at a premium |
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Best for |
Entryways, dining rooms, period homes, spaces wanting warmth and detail |
Modern interiors, long rooms, hallways where the directional pull is an asset |
The quickest way to tell them apart in a photo: look at the ends. If the zig-zag looks stepped and the planks are plainly rectangles, it's herringbone. If the points meet cleanly to form arrows, it's chevron.
What the Pattern Actually Costs
Three separate cost lines change when you move from straight-lay to a pattern, and only one of them is obvious:
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Labor roughly doubles. Straight-lay installation typically runs about $4-5 per square foot; herringbone and chevron typically run $8-10. The pattern requires a precise centerline layout, constant angle checks, and dramatically more cutting - and mistakes propagate across the room rather than staying local.
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Waste rises from 10% to 15%. Angled and directional cuts produce offcuts that can't be reused elsewhere in the pattern, so more material is ordered and more of it ends up in the bin.
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Material can cost more. Chevron in particular often requires planks cut at the angle from the factory, which carries a premium over standard planks. Herringbone can be laid with standard rectangular planks, which is one reason it's the more common choice.
Put together on a 300 square foot dining room: straight-lay might run roughly $1,200-1,500 in labor with 330 sq. ft. of material, while herringbone runs roughly $2,400-3,000 in labor with 345 sq. ft. That's a real premium for a real visual difference - the question is whether the room deserves it.
Not every installer does patterns well. Pattern work is a genuine skill, and a herringbone floor laid slightly out of alignment is obvious to everyone forever. Ask for photos of completed pattern installations specifically, not just general work, and confirm the quote covers pattern labor rather than standard rates.
When the Premium Is Worth It
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Entryways and foyers. The highest return per square foot in the house. A small area means a small premium, and it's the first thing anyone sees.
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Dining rooms and formal spaces. Rooms that are looked at more than lived in, where the floor stays visible rather than disappearing under furniture.
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A feature zone within an open plan. Pattern in one defined area, straight-lay elsewhere, is a designer move that costs a fraction of patterning the whole level - and it visually zones the space without walls.
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Long rooms and hallways, for chevron specifically. The continuous V is strongly directional and pulls the eye down the length, which flatters a corridor.
Where it's harder to justify: bedrooms (largely covered by a bed and rugs), rooms below roughly 100 square feet where the pattern's repeat is too cramped to read properly, and any space where the budget would be better spent on a higher-spec floor laid straight.
The shortcut worth knowing: McMillan sells pre-formatted herringbone and chevron products - including Niobe Herringbone in the EVOLVED laminate collection and herringbone and chevron formats in engineered hardwood - so the planks arrive sized for the pattern. That removes the factory-cutting premium and some of the layout risk, though the labor premium for pattern installation still applies.
Other Patterns Worth Considering
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Diagonal straight-lay. Standard planks run at 45 degrees to the walls. Adds visual interest and makes a room feel wider, at 15% waste and a modest labor premium - by far the cheapest way to break out of straight-lay.
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Double or triple herringbone. Two or three planks grouped as a single unit in the zig-zag. Reads bolder and larger-scale, and suits big rooms where standard herringbone would look fussy.
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Borders and inlays. A straight-lay field with a contrasting perimeter band. Concentrates the cost and the effect at the edges of a room.
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Mixed-width straight-lay. Planks of two or three widths alternating. Almost no cost premium, and it breaks the uniformity that makes some straight-lay floors look flat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between herringbone and chevron flooring?
Herringbone uses standard rectangular planks laid at 90 degrees to each other, with the end of one plank meeting the side of the next, creating a staggered zig-zag. Chevron uses planks cut at an angle at both ends so the points meet directly, forming continuous unbroken V shapes. Herringbone reads as traditional and textured; chevron reads as cleaner, more modern, and strongly directional.
Is herringbone flooring worth the extra cost?
It depends on the room. Installation labor typically doubles - roughly $8-10 per square foot versus $4-5 for straight-lay - and waste rises from 10% to 15%. That premium is well spent in entryways, dining rooms, and feature areas where the floor is meant to be seen, and harder to justify in bedrooms or spaces that will be covered by furniture and rugs.
How much extra flooring do you need for a herringbone pattern?
Order 15% over your measured square footage rather than the standard 10%. Angled and directional cuts produce offcuts that can't be reused elsewhere in the pattern, so more material is consumed. For chevron specifically, confirm whether your product requires factory-cut angled planks, which affects both cost and how much usable material each box contains.
Does herringbone work in a small room?
It can, with caution. Below roughly 100 square feet, the pattern's repeat may be too cramped to read as intended, and the busyness can make a small space feel smaller. Smaller planks help, since they keep the repeat proportional to the room. In a small space where you want pattern, an entryway is usually a better candidate than a small bedroom.
The Bottom Line
Herringbone and chevron deliver a genuinely different floor, and they charge for it: about double the labor, half again the waste, and an installer who has done it before. Spend it where the floor is looked at - entry, dining, a defined feature zone - and lay the rest straight. A patterned foyer flowing into a well-executed straight-lay main floor looks considered. Patterning everything mostly looks expensive.
Read: Which Direction Should You Lay Plank Flooring? →
