How to fit herringbone LVT

We love herringbone flooring here at Topps Tiles because it's so versatile. Whether you want a timeless feel with your home décor or you're a pretty stylish person and want your home to reflect you, we think choosing a herringbone tile pattern is always a winner.

Not only does herringbone look great but our range of herringbone LVT flooring offers additional features to take you past how it looks. How about simplifying the installation process by choosing a product that has an LTV underlay? Yes, please.

In our guide, we show you how to lay herringbone flooring, providing all our expert tips and tricks to ensure that you can create a DIY herringbone floor without needing to call in a professional. Please note that this fitting technique is suitable for the following LVT ranges:

Carrick Oak | Whinfell Light Oak | Marston Grey | Parkhurst Grey

Before laying herringbone flooring, let the LVT acclimatise in the room for 48 hours and make sure your foundation is properly prepared. Our LVT flooring installation guide provides a simple step-by-step process to help you get started. If you are laying vinyl flooring on floorboards, you can also check out our other guide.

In this section, we’ll show you how to install herringbone click LVT using our range of tiles featuring a 2G Unilin locking system. This system provides a simple and easy-fitting solution, allowing each plank or tile to click into place effortlessly.

Due to the nature of fitting herringbone, there is some cutting required and therefore we recommend that you purchase 10% more than you need.

We'd recommend dry laying your tiles first to work out which way to lay your herringbone floor to make the most of your room. This LVT flooring pattern works particularly well in smaller areas as the pattern naturally widens a room whilst drawing the eye upwards towards the point.

There’s no right or wrong way to lay the flooring in terms of direction, it’s more personal preference. However, if your room is narrow then we’d advise laying it horizontally (so the point sits vertically) to help create the illusion of width without sacrificing the length of the room.

Once you have prepared your floor for installation, the first step in laying herringbone LVT is to find and measure the centre of the room. When you have found the centre of the room, draw a line on the substrate lengthways down the centre of the room. When deciding the direction of this line, consider the room’s focal points, as herringbone patterns often look best when flowing toward features like windows or doorways.

When you purchase our herringbone LVT flooring, you’ll receive planks labelled ‘A’ and ‘B.’ We recommend sorting the planks into separate piles based on their labels before you begin to make installation easier.

During installation, simply click an ‘A’ plank into the short end of a ‘B’ plank to fit them together.

To create a starting triangle simply:

1. Take an A and a B plank and click the end of the A plank into the short side of the B plank.

2. Start by attaching a B plank, followed by an A plank, and then another B plank. Continue this pattern until you have 3 B planks on the right and 2 A planks on the left.

3. Use a straight-edge tool to draw a line from the outer corner of the last B plank to the edge of the last A plank.

4. Unclick the planks in the reverse order from how they were assembled. Once unclicked, cut across the marked lines.

5. Click the pieces together in the same order as above to create a triangle as shown.

Once you have created the starting triangle, you are ready to begin laying the first row of your herringbone LVT. To do this, simply:

1. Place the first triangle so that the corners of each plank run exactly along the two outer lines drawn on the substrate (the longer edge of the triangle against the wall). This will ensure the flooring is central to the room.

2. Ensure there is a 6mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room (vinyl expansion spacers can be used).

3. Repeat the above steps to create more starting triangles and place these on each side of the central triangle until the first row is complete.

4. Keep checking to make sure the centre triangle points remain on the drawn lines.

Fitting herringbone LVT click flooring can be challenging, especially around the corners. To complete the first row, we recommend that you follow these steps:

1. For the corners on the first row, measure the distance between the left wall and the edge of the nearest triangle, taking into account the 6mm expansion gap.

2. Create a starting triangle (Step 3) and mark the required space on the right-hand side of the new triangle. We recommend that you use a set square to ensure a straight line.

3. Cut the planks along the mark and fit into the left corner of the room. Repeat this process in the opposite direction for the right wall.

Tip: To fully lock the final piece of each row into place, we recommend using a pull bar.

1. To complete laying herringbone LVT, work from left to right, clicking only A planks. The point of the A plank on the centre triangle should be in line with the left line drawn on the substrate.

2. For the final A plank, measure from the inner point of the triangle corner to the right wall ensuring a 6mm expansion gap is maintained.

3. Mark this measurement on the plank and cut. For a 45o angle, we recommend using an off-cut.

4. Click the cut plank into place.

5. Next, work from right to left clicking in only B planks and follow the same steps as above for the final B plank.

6. Repeat these steps until you reach the other end of the room.

7. When completing the final row, measure, cut and click the planks in the same way that you did in step 5.

Finishing touches can really lift your herringbone LVT flooring. Scotias cover the expansion gap around the edge of the room and should be fixed to the wall or skirting, not the floor itself, while door bars create a seamless transition between rooms and protect the edges of your floor from everyday use.

We'd recommend the following door bars and scotias to aesthetically fit with each range:

Marston Grey – Dural Multifloor Silver Door Bar, Light Grey Oak or White Scotia

Parkhurst Grey – Dural Multifloor Silver Door Bar, Light Grey Oak or White Scotia

Carrick Oak – Dural Multifloor Titanium Door Bar, Brown Oak or White Scotia

Whinfell Oak – Dural Multifloor Oak or Champagne Door Bar, Oak or White Scotia

If you are ready to take on your next project, why not browse our full range of luxury vinyl tiles? Alternatively, take a look at our different types of LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) guide for more advice.