In this guide to wood flooring patterns we will introduce you to the most popular types of patterns for your housing projects.
Wooden floors are classic and popular for good reasons. They are durable, attractive and highly adaptable.
They’re also easy to clean and comfortable for your feet, especially during the colder months. They offer warmth, which makes them an ideal choice for your home.
Moreover, using wood floors can also be a great investment because they can help improve the overall value of your property. In today’s real estate market, more and more homebuyers are looking for residential properties with wood flooring options. Lastly, wood floors are available in several types and shades, thereby giving you the opportunity to choose the one that will suit your home design and lifestyle.
With these things in mind, there’s no doubt why wood floors remain a great flooring option for many homeowners. So, if you’ve decided to use these floors, you may choose to hire professionals for the installation or opt for a DIY approach. Generally, professional design and installation guidance makes your renovation or new building easier, but it comes at a price.
If you have confidence in your do-it-yourself skills and have a few basic tools, you definitely have the opportunity to install your own parquet with a wooden pattern.
Whatever your choice, you will benefit from knowing more about the materials available, installation, maintenance, and model options. But as you choose to install the wood flooring by yourself, you may need to have a well-designed floor plan. Generally, a floor plan refers to a drawing showing the key elements of a house, such as the walls, doors, windows, furniture, and floors. It provides the dimensions between the walls, room sizes, and other relevant measurements.
By using a floor plan, you can determine the decorating style you want and the type and size of wood flooring required. You can also minimize the errors in planning and installation with the help of a floor plan. This is especially true if you opt to install your wood floors without professional assistance.
Now that you are doing a DIY approach for the installation, it’s time to familiarize yourself with the different wood floor patterns and layouts to choose from.
Wooden patterns
For design materials with wood grain, there are two possibilities: solid wood or special wood.
Solid wood floors are, as the name suggests, made of real wood planks. In the case of engineered wood, natural wood can also be used, but it is a much thinner layer glued to a base layer of plywood or HDF (High Density Fiberboard).
As far as installation methods are concerned, there are certain terms you need to know. The first is the basement. When your house was built, the beams were installed first. These are long strips of wood that support the surface on which your family walks.
The lower floor covers these beams and the spaces in between, providing a flat surface to walk on while the rest of the house is built. The substrate is usually plywood.
When it is time to complete construction, a decision has to be made about the floor covering to be installed. Glued or nailed floor coverings are fixed directly to the subfloor.
Glue or nails press the floor firmly against the subfloor, avoiding cracks and air spaces. This type of installation is common for solid wood floors.
A floating floor is another option. Floating floors are not connected to the subfloor at all. There is an air cushion between the ground and the basement that can make walking more comfortable.
However, the same function can change the acoustics of the floor and the room because the sound is reflected in the empty space. Footsteps can be louder, and in a room with a floating floor the sound can bounce louder.
All wood reacts to moisture, expands when the humidity is high and shrinks when the air contains less water. In temperate climates, this is not a problem for floating floors or solid wood floors.
When air humidity is exceptionally high, a floating floor is not ideal because moisture can seep between the floor and the subfloor, creating the risk of mould and mildew.
Because floating floors are held in place by pressure and not by material or glue, the risk of warping is greater than with solid wood floors.
Floating floors are generally click floors, also called ratchet floors or interlocking floors. There are also interlocking parquet floors, but these are rarer than the parquet versions of the product.
The interlocking floors have a tongue and groove system that is cut into the sides of each plank so that they can be installed without gaps between the planks. It’s the pressure and strength of this tyre that keeps your floor in place.
You can combine different lengths, widths and even styles of flooring with a click of the mouse to create the floor of your choice.
Compatibility, however, can be a problem. Different manufacturers may use slightly different moulded gaskets, so it is generally advisable to use a single supplier for your entire flooring project.
Even different products of the same series can have different installation requirements. So consult your local flooring specialist or talk to a retailer in your local showroom before making your final purchase.
Of course you can get the look of wood without using wood. Vinyl and laminate flooring has come a long way since its introduction to the market and can reliably match the look and feel of natural wood.
Design lovers will recognise that it is not real wood, but it is attractive and very ordinary.
The cost savings and ease of installation make vinyl or laminate an attractive choice when it comes to creating a wood floor, or at least a floor with a wood pattern.
Vinyl or laminate floors cannot be touched. The wood is covered with a thin layer of hardwood called veneer. For some products the veneer can be machined, but for others it cannot be sanded and finished.
Solid wood floors are likely to last longer without having to be replaced because they can be sanded and repainted several times.
Models for laying wooden floors
Once the material of your floor has been determined, it’s time to go to the floor model. Floor patterns simply refer to the way the pieces of wood are laid.
From simple straight planks to intricate inlays and patterns inspired by French royalty, there is something for every taste, every budget and every house style. Some of the most common floor coverings are listed below.
Straight model
One of the simplest patterns, straight pattern parquet, is a popular do-it-yourself option that is easy to install. In this scheme, the long horizontal planks are laid side by side.
If you use solid wood floors, these are either nailed or glued to the subfloor. If you need a technical solution, such as a click connection, it is not necessary to attach it to the subfloor.
Wood floors with straight patterns are a popular choice for novice installers. Many types of tongue and groove floors use a straight mounting pattern because they can be installed quickly for easier installation.
Diagonal model
In the case of a diagonal parquet floor, all planks go in the same direction, but are laid at an angle to the walls.
The longest planks run diagonally through the room, from corner to corner. The boards are cut into smaller and shorter lengths to fill the two remaining corners.
Suitable for experienced do-it-yourselfers, wood floors with a diagonal pattern require more pruning than floors with a straight pattern. You will also have to make diagonal cuts where the floorboards meet the walls.
Wood floors with diagonal patterns require careful planning to avoid wasting material. Consider having your plan assessed by an experienced installer if you know one, or even better, outsource the work.
Wood with silver patterns
The earring is a popular motif for everything from twill skirts to duvet covers and yes, it all started with wooden floors.
The rafters are a repeating pattern of planks arranged at an angle of 90 degrees, with the appearance of a herringbone structure.
Each strip of wood is sawn to the same size, usually about eighteen centimetres. Wooden strips are rectangles.
To start the pattern, place the short side of the first piece of wood touching the end of the other piece of wood along the long side of the second piece of wood. This creates a V. The short end of the next piece of wood is laid parallel to the first, and so on.
The end result is long planks consisting of shorter, diagonal pieces. The entire floor has been laid in a zigzag pattern.
This style is one of the oldest examples of parquet flooring and as such is a good choice for houses with traditional or historic building elements.
Double impost floor
In the double herringbone pattern, two planks are laid side by side to create a pattern instead of one.
This pattern creates the illusion of more space by drawing attention to the V in the layout. This model is often used in the design of small parts to increase their size.
Wooden floors with herringbone pattern
The herringbone motif can be seen as a modern, updated cousin of the herringbone motif. She uses a very similar technique, except that the pieces of wood that make up the larger planks are sawn into parallelograms instead of rectangles.
This eliminates the characteristic staggered zigzag pattern of herringbone tiles and creates a sleek appearance of tiles that converge at perfect 45 degree angles.
More experience is needed to cut, so again, care must be taken not to waste material. This model is most suitable for experienced do-it-yourselfers or professional installers.
Versailles pattern parquet
The Palace of Versailles is famous for its architecture and design. One of the most beautiful royal houses ever created. Every detail was intended to glorify the reign of Louis XIV, obsessed with design. Surprisingly beautiful, but best left to a professional installer.
The design consists of a series of squares, similar to a patchwork quilt. Each square measures about one meter by one meter and has an outer edge of 4 rectangular pieces of wood.
A cross, lattice or weave pattern is made inside the edge with rectangular wooden strips placed diagonally on the edge. The empty spaces are filled with square pieces of wood.
Compensated wood floor
In this diagram, all panels have the same width, but are sawn to different standard lengths. Longer planks are used in one row of floorboards and shorter planks in the next.
The result is a staggered wooden floor that seems intentional rather than random.
Basket model
The wooden floors with basket pattern are made by carefully cutting and laying rectangular pieces of wood diagonally.
The way they are stacked gives the impression that one piece of wood passes underneath the other, a bit like fibres are used to weave baskets.
Where there must be space between the fibres of the basket, the space is filled with square pieces of wood.
Basket patterns take up one of the most attractive elements of the Versailles pattern, the grid or the wickerwork, but instead of dividing it into squares with borders, the pattern simply repeats itself and covers the entire floor.
Although the visual impact is easier than a Versailles patterned floor, the installation can be technically more difficult. It is therefore advisable to use a professional installer for woven wooden floors.
Double woven floor basket pattern
By adding a background pattern to the regular basket grid, the Double provides an extra table for the grid pattern.
This type of pattern dates back to the 1920s, when the basket pattern was widely used in interior projects. It is therefore more suitable for those looking for a more traditional interior style.
Brick model
The name speaks for itself: the wood is cut into brick-like rectangles, which are then laid on the ground like a brick wall.
First a row of bricks is laid. The second row is so staggered that the middle of each brick is above the joint created by the bricks underneath. It is an excellent model for bamboo floors or for anyone who has many small pieces of wood to work with.
Stacking floor Model
Stacking floor patterns can be used to create a modern interior design. When laying, the tiles are laid in a straight line, horizontally over each other in a grid pattern.
The overlapping joint pattern is often used for kitchen backsplashes in bathrooms and commercial spaces. It is one of the simplest types of tiles and as such it is very popular.
Chessboard
The chessboard is also called a square basket. It’s a model that was popular in the seventies, so it might seem a little outdated. The small square tiles are made by connecting wooden rectangles.
These tiles are laid alternately – first horizontally, then vertically – to create a square basket or diamond pattern on the floor.
Mosaic floor pattern
A mosaic floor pattern can be taken in many different styles. Traditionally, a mosaic was defined as glass or ceramic tiles of different sizes that were joined together to form statues or patterns.
When it comes to flooring, many patterns fall under the term mosaic. They are often used as inlays in wooden floors that create interesting design elements in ordinary floors.
Horizontal bar
This pattern is a variation on the straight pattern parquet. When installed horizontally, i.e. parallel to the longest wall in the room, the evenly distributed planks give the illusion of a larger and longer room.
Mixed high flow rate
The diagrams examined so far are characterised by the fact that they all use boards of wood sawn to a uniform width. The mixed width pattern is suitable for floors with straight or diagonal patterns.
This design uses different widths – some wider and some narrower – to create a varied look.
This pattern is most suitable for rooms with a light rustic decor. It’s great on farms or when it’s made from recycled or reused barn wood.
Models for wood marquetry
Of all floor designs, wood marquetry is probably the most expensive, the most technically demanding and the most visually impressive. The different wood colours have been cut separately and carefully stacked to create intricate patterns.
Wood inlay is similar to mosaic in that it uses many small pieces to create a larger design, but uses wood instead of tiles.
A master carpenter can design a wooden marquetry especially for your space. There are also generic templates to choose from. The more complex the model, the more you have to pay for the design and installation.
Marquetry floors often use special types of wood to create contrasts that can enhance your wood floor. Higher material costs are also to be expected because there will be more wood waste when the floor is finished.
However, if your budget allows you to choose a wooden floor pattern, it can quickly become your favourite part of the room.
Tell us what your favourite wood floor designs are in the comments below. More information can be found in our tile sample gallery.
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