The actual difference
Herringbone uses square-ended blocks laid at 90° to each other, so the pattern staggers like a broken zigzag. Chevron blocks are cut at an angle — usually 45° or 60° — so the ends meet point-to-point and form a continuous arrow. Chevron blocks are machined specifically as left and right hands; herringbone blocks are interchangeable.
How each one changes a room
Chevron creates a strong directional line and visually stretches a room along the arrow. Herringbone is busier and more static, which suits period rooms and hallways where you want texture rather than direction. In a narrow Victorian hallway we'd normally run herringbone; in a long open-plan extension chevron pulls the eye down the space.
Setting out is the whole job
Both patterns live or die on the centre line. We set out from the main sightline — usually the doorway or the longest wall — and dry-lay before any adhesive goes down. Getting this wrong shows up as a drifting pattern and mismatched borders at the walls, and it cannot be corrected later.
- Perimeter borders and mitred corners are quoted separately
- Chevron generates more offcut waste because of the angled ends
- Both are fitted as full glue-down on a prepared, flat base
Time and cost
Parquet is our slowest install: 3–5 weeks lead time and a longer on-site programme than plank. Supplied and fitted, herringbone and parquet start at £89/m². Chevron typically sits above herringbone on the same species because of the angled machining and the extra waste.