How to Lay Herringbone LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles)
Jump straight to:
> Tools You'll Need
> Your Installation Options
> Styles of parquet
> Preparing to Fit Your Floor
> Installing Your Floor
> Finishing the Look
> Your Flooring is Finished!
or Download the guide as a PDF
Tools for Fitting Your Floor
To install these floors yourself you’ll need some tools to help with the job.
Have these at hand:
- Tape measure
- Spirit level
- Pencil
- Workbench or sawhorse
- Combination square
- Planks of flooring
- Spacers, Tapping block & Pull bar
- Rubber mallet
- Underlay and underlay tape (if needed)
- Handsaw or electric saw
- Chisel (for fitting around architrave)
- Drill (for covering pipework)
- Moisture meter – the correct type for your subfloor
- Beading or skirting boards (to finish the look)
- Safety precautions i.e. knee pads, safety goggles, dust masks, ear defenders
Your Installation Options
Note: Fitting parquet flooring can be quite complicated and relies on precise measurements, so if you're not feeling confident we recommend you hire a professional fitter.
Floating floor
In a floating floor, the tiles are joined to each other, instead of to the subfloor. All of our SPC luxury vinyl tiles use this method due to their handy click-fit system. For this method, we’d advise you to have underlay installed and prepped. All of our SPC-luxury vinyl tiles have an underlay already attached which is 100% waterproof and protects against mildew, mould, rot and bacteria. Just be sure to check your subfloor is clean and smooth before fitting your floor to make sure you get the best results.
Good to know
SPC Luxury Vinyl Tiles
This type of vinyl tile has a rigid core made from limestone that’s extremely tough and strong. They
all have a click-joining system designed to be floated.
A&B Planks
These are 2 different planks that fit together: an ‘A’ plank and a ‘B’ plank, with joins on opposing
sides. Most of our herringbone flooring comes in this form, with half ‘A’ side boards and half ‘B’ side
boards in each pack.
Styles of parquet
Parquet flooring is the term for flooring made from blocks arranged in a pattern.
You can customise your parquet blocks to get patterns like these:
Herringbone
Double Herringbone
Basket Weave
Subway
Preparing to Fit Your Floor
- Check the packs
Once the flooring arrives you should check one box to make sure you’re happy with the product. Some of our wood-effect herringbone flooring is designed to look just like real wood which means there may be some colour variation between the planks and batches. When you get to laying the floor you can make the most of these colour contrasts by mixing and matching planks with different shades to get a lovely natural look.
- Leave to acclimatise
We know it’s tempting to get stuck into installing your new flooring as soon as it arrives but it’s important to leave it for at least 24 – 48 hours in the room it’s going to be fitted in. This allows the floor to acclimatise and makes the vinyl less brittle. To do this, lay the packs on the floor or in stacks, ensuring they stay horizontal and equal weight is distributed across them all. Leave the planks in their packaging. Try to keep the room at the same temperature you’d usually have it (around 20 - 21°C should be alright) and don’t allow the flooring to be exposed to the elements. If you’re using underfloor heating, you’ll need to gradually increase the temperature so that the planks acclimatise to the heat. Your heating supplier will be able to advise you on this.
- Prepare the subfloor
Before you lay your new floor, you’ll need to remove the existing flooring, prepare the subfloor and ensure it is clean, dry and level. We recommend a concrete or wooden subfloor for the best result. Use a moisture meter to check the subfloor is dry enough before you start. If you do have a concrete subfloor, make sure it’s completely dry before installation. A damp-proof membrane should be installed on top of the subfloor to reduce the risk of moisture reaching the boards. You’ll need to do this to prevent the floors from expanding and buckling (many underlays now come with built-in damp-proof membranes). Any screws or nails in your subfloor should be fixed below the surface. This is so you can be sure they won’t puncture through the underlay. Remove any old adhesive from previous floors and vacuum the floor to pick up any excess dust or debris. It’s very important to have a level subfloor with parquet flooring so take extra care to make sure. - Plan the look
Think about how you want your herringbone floor to look. Choose the direction and style of the pattern and how you want the eye to be drawn when you enter the room. - And one last thing...
It’s best to fit your floor as the last thing you do in a renovation project. Work your way from the top of the room to the bottom so that once you’re ready for the floor to go in, there’s much less chance of damaging it. If you’re installing furniture that is extremely heavy then you might wish to glue the floor down with adhesive for extra stability.
Installing Your Floor
Floating method
- Measuring the space
Start by measuring the longest wall (or whichever direction you planned) and divide by two to find the centre line of the room. Use a chalk line to mark it out. You’ll be aligning the first strip of planks to this line. You may also want to add additional guide lines: a horizontal line to make sure you’re working at an exact 90 degree angle, and multiple guide lines parallel to the centre line to mark out the outer edges of each strip. Place spacers around the walls to make an expansion gap of 2mm. If you’re using underfloor heating, we recommend a minimum of 5mm. - Laying the planks
Separate your A and B planks into two piles. One strip of planks refers to an A and a B plank connected together and then the connected planks underneath.
Align the planks so that the highest point of the entire strip is on the centre line. The herringbone pattern may look as though it is slightly to the right of the centre line (due to the nature of the pattern itself). This will look more professional once you’ve added further strips.
To fully connect the planks cover the outer end with an offcut or a piece of card and use a rubber mallet to gently knock it until the planks sit flush against each other. Continue to connect each plank by clicking each joint into the gap of the other plank, starting at a high angle and applying light pressure. After you hear a click, lower it flat on the floor. Repeat the previous step to make sure all planks are connected as closely as possible with no gaps.
After the first strip is complete, make sure to check all measurements and then continue to fill out the remaining strips.
Once you have laid all of the full planks, you’ll need to measure and cut the planks to fill in the pattern around the edges. This is the tricky part and takes quite a bit of time to cut down all of the correct sizes and to slot them into place. You can use some glue to secure the smallest pieces, applying a small amount inside the groove.
Finishing the Look
To fit your luxury vinyl tiles around any pipes, first mark the position of the pipe in the board you’re
using. Drill a hole in this position and make two angled cuts with a saw. These cuts should form a wedge
from the edge of the board to the hole which can then be removed. Fit the board around the hole and
then reattach this wedge with glue behind the pipe so the plank appears intact.
For fitting around door frames, start by removing the door from the frame. Line up an offcut of flooring along with a threshold bar stacked on top to make sure it will fit underneath the architrave. If needed, use a handsaw and chisel to trim the bottom of the architrave to the correct height. You may also need to trim the bottom of the door before refitting.
You can then use matching beading and thresholds to cover expansion gaps and blend the new floors in with your existing walls, making it look professional and seamless. Make sure not to attach any trims to the flooring itself or it may affect the expansion gaps.
Any spare planks or cuttings can be kept in case any repairs need to be made.
If the expansion gap has been left too large and the skirting or moulding doesn’t cover it, you can use
spare floorboards to cut strips using a hand saw and glue these strips into place.
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Your Flooring is Finished!
After putting in the finishing touches (like our range of beautiful radiator pipe covers, skirting boards, stair nosing, and door profiles), you can introduce your furniture, stand back and take it all in. You just fitted your very own Luxury Floor!
We’d love to see your accomplishments! So make sure you take plenty of pictures and post them online
@luxuryflooringfurnishings on Instagram. Tag us #MyLuxuryFloor
We hope you’re happy with your new Herringbone Luxury Vinyl Tile Flooring but if you have any questions or issues, don’t hesitate to check out our advice centre or get in touch with our customer support team on 0333 577 0025.