--- title: "Herringbone flooring: pattern, fitting and apartment noise" description: "Plan herringbone flooring around the room, installation method and acoustic evidence, with practical questions about layout, underlay and approval." canonical: "https://monkeyfloors.com/guides/herringbone-flooring" language: "en-AU" published: "2026-10-09" updated: "2026-10-09" --- [Part of: Floating floors: choosing the right floor for your home](https://monkeyfloors.com/floating-floors) # Herringbone flooring: pattern, fitting and apartment noise Quick answer Choose herringbone flooring by checking the material and installation system as carefully as the pattern. For an apartment, ask for acoustic evidence that covers the proposed floor construction, then resolve the layout, boundaries and approval conditions before ordering; a herringbone design does not establish how much sound reaches the home below. By [Monkey Floors editorial team](https://monkeyfloors.com/about) · Published 9 October 2026 · 4 min read ## At a glance Start with Material, fixing method and a room layout Acoustic evidence The proposed board, underlay, fixing, structure and ceiling Before ordering Resolve borders, doorways, quantities and scheme approval A herringbone floor deserves a drawing of the whole room. A small sample can help with colour and finish, but it cannot show where the pattern meets a narrow hallway, how a border sits around an island or what happens at the bedroom doors. Start with those junctions. In an apartment, put the acoustic report and the scheme’s flooring conditions beside the drawing so the visual choice and the proposed construction can be considered together. ## What does the pattern tell you about the material? Herringbone is a pattern description, not a complete flooring specification. ATFA’s [engineered parquetry article](https://www.atfa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Pages-from-ATFA-Magazine-Issue-45-v03.pdf), published in 2020, discusses herringbone, chevron and custom panels as different parquetry formats. Its installation advice concerns the engineered parquetry described in that article. Check what the visible surface is made from. ATFA’s [material guide](https://www.atfa.com.au/uncategorized/wood-and-vinyl-based-flooring-consumer/) distinguishes engineered flooring with a real timber surface from laminate with a decorative image over a fibreboard core, and from vinyl-based products. A timber appearance alone does not identify the construction. Ask to see enough pieces to judge the variation you will live with. Put them near the cabinetry and wall finishes, and look at them in daylight and under your evening lighting. Note whether you prefer the grain, sheen and joint definition close up as well as from the doorway. ## Does herringbone need to be glued down? The exact product’s instructions should settle this. The bonded engineered parquetry in ATFA’s 2020 article uses a full-trowel adhesive application and needs careful subfloor preparation and alignment. That is a useful warning against treating parquetry as ordinary straight boards turned sideways; it is not an installation instruction for every product sold as herringbone. If a proposed range is described as floating, request its own layout and jointing instructions. If it is bonded, ask the installer to identify the adhesive system and any acoustic layer it will be bonded to. Our [floating versus glue-down guide](https://monkeyfloors.com/guides/floating-vs-glue-down-flooring) covers that broader choice. Have the installer explain the finished detail at doorways, fixed joinery and the edge of each room. Record any movement provisions required by the system before agreeing to a continuous pattern through several spaces. ## How should you plan the layout? Use a marked floor plan rather than agreeing only on a direction. Ask the installer to show the starting line, the pattern at the main sightline and the cuts along the opposite edges. A layout you like in the living room may need a different decision at a short passage or angled wall. Details to settle on the herringbone layout | Detail | Ask to see | Decision to record | | --- | --- | --- | | Main room | Pattern drawn from the entrance and main seating position | Which sightline sets the layout | | Hallway and doorways | How the pattern arrives at each opening | Continuation, direction change or transition | | Room edges | Cuts and any proposed border | Border width and treatment at uneven walls | | Fixed joinery | The junction at islands and built-in cabinetry | The system's movement and finishing detail | Ask for a quantity calculation based on that drawing, including cuts, packing and any spare pieces you want to retain. The [flooring quantity calculator](https://monkeyfloors.com/tools/flooring-quantity-calculator) can apply an allowance supplied for your project. It cannot determine the cutting waste of a herringbone layout from room area alone. ## What makes herringbone suitable for an apartment? The relevant evidence concerns the complete installed floor. [ATFA’s acoustic-underlay guidance](https://www.atfa.com.au/uncategorized/installation-over-acoustic-underlays-consumer/) explains that changing the flooring, underlay or supporting construction can change the result. It also calls for the flooring and underlay suppliers to accept the installation method in writing. Before relying on a report for straight boards, ask an acoustic consultant whether it supports the proposed parquetry construction. Include the product, fixing method, acoustic layer, slab or timber structure and ceiling below. A laboratory result describes the laboratory construction; it does not establish the measured result in your apartment. Use the [test-report reader](https://monkeyfloors.com/tools/test-report-reader) to organise those details. If the scheme requires a test after installation, agree on its scope and responsibility before work starts. Follow the applicable [strata flooring rules](https://monkeyfloors.com/strata-flooring-rules) and obtain the scheme’s written decision for your proposal. ## What should the quotation include? Keep the agreed layout with the quotation. Ask it to identify the exact flooring, preparation, fixing system, acoustic layers, borders, trims and treatment of adjoining rooms. Include who will resolve unexpected substrate problems and what evidence will be handed over at completion. Before ordering, check that the drawing, quotation and approval describe the same floor. A change of backing, adhesive or installation method deserves another check, even when the visible pattern stays the same. ## Questions, answered ### Is herringbone a type of timber? Herringbone describes the pattern. Read the product specification separately to identify the surface material, core, joint and intended installation method. ### Can herringbone flooring be floated? Do not decide from the pattern name. Check whether the exact product is designed for floating installation and obtain its instructions. Guidance for bonded engineered parquetry does not authorise floating that product. ### Is herringbone quieter than straight floorboards? The layout alone does not establish acoustic performance. Compare reports for the actual flooring systems, including the fixing, underlay, structure and ceiling, rather than assuming the pattern makes one quieter. ### What waste allowance should I use for herringbone? Ask the installer to calculate quantities from the room layout, borders, cuts and product packing. Use that project-specific allowance in a quantity calculation; there is no universal percentage in this guide. ## Sources 1. [Engineered Parquetry, Timber Floors magazine Issue 45, 2020](https://www.atfa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Pages-from-ATFA-Magazine-Issue-45-v03.pdf) · Australasian Timber Flooring Association · Accessed 2026-10-09 2. [Wood and Vinyl based flooring, consumer information sheet](https://www.atfa.com.au/uncategorized/wood-and-vinyl-based-flooring-consumer/) · Australasian Timber Flooring Association · Accessed 2026-10-09 3. [Installation over acoustic underlays, consumer information sheet](https://www.atfa.com.au/uncategorized/installation-over-acoustic-underlays-consumer/) · Australasian Timber Flooring Association · Accessed 2026-10-09 ## Goes well with Acoustic flooring ### [Floating vs glue-down flooring: sound and the finished detail](https://monkeyfloors.com/guides/floating-vs-glue-down-flooring) Compare floating and glue-down flooring by the complete construction, acoustic evidence, preparation and room details before deciding how to install. 3 min read Underlay ### [Acoustic underlay for timber: a complete floor specification](https://monkeyfloors.com/acoustic-underlay/timber) Choose acoustic underlay for floating or bonded timber by checking the full system, moisture, fixing details, floor height and apartment test evidence. 4 min read Strata rules ### [Strata flooring rules: a clear route to a considered floor](https://monkeyfloors.com/strata-flooring-rules) The NCC sets floor sound ratings for new buildings; your registered by-laws decide what you must do. Compare NSW, QLD and VIC rules and approval steps. 12 min read