Herringbone has had it's day. Straight planks are back. Discuss.

[HopscotchBanana]

Pretty much that really.

Now doing a renovation, and going to do one of 2 things on ground floor:

Tile (flagstone look, porcelain from Quorn Stone) throughout except living room, neutral carpet.

Wooden floor throughout, including living room, but tile cloakroom and utility with Quorn Stone as above.

I think I prefer the tiles, but DH and eldest DS won't wear slippers and hate the coldness. I can't be arsed with underfloor heating the whole thing.

So, this leaves us the wood. Engineered we think is looking like the smarter option. I really like the herringbone, but will it date? I know it's been around years, but still. Is it just the greige lvt stuff that is "of a look" (you can tell it's not wood, I've been looking in showrooms at all sorts for months now) that is looking dated, or would you avoid herringbone entirely as a fad and stick with straight planks?

Disclaimer: there won't be a navy kitchen with gold handles, nor faux panelling around every room, so it won't be over styled.

Yes to plain planks, we’re viewing houses atm and the herringbone floors do look dated and of their time imo.
greige is awful, as are the acres of grey plush carpet…

I am soon to order new flooring and agree that straight planks seem to be the thing again. I suppose it depends on the look / date of the house though.
Any thoughts on wood compared to the thick laminate planks? People keep telling me the laminate is lower maintenance.

Real parquet is lovely, big light grey laminate herringbone not so much.

I'd go for straight planks.

To be honest, if I was buying a house and it had traditional parquet herringbone it would put me off a bit, so expensive to replace but I wouldn’t want to live with it. Maybe huge rugs to cover most of it. Whereas straight planks would be fine.

It is lower maintenance.

However, having spent far too much of my life recently in flooring showrooms, (and despite the cries of "my laminate is excellent and you would never know it wasn't real wood") it is evident that it is not real wood.

We've seen some very expensive lvt, to very cheap, and none of it would pass.

My purse wishes it did.

I'm always amazed when people rave over parquet flooring. I've taught for 30 odd years and it just feels like being in school to me!

It's not what I'd want at home.

The problem with herringbone is it is absolutely everywhere, it feels like it’s lost its classic credentials and is now so ubiquitous and has become dated by default, especially with the cheaper versions now available in every DIY store. It’s also far too busy for my taste and if I look at it for too long makes my eyes go funny, the toblerone comment was spot on! Personally I think a floor should be a backdrop not the focus so would always go for a true classic straight plank wooden floor.

I think parquet is classic and beautiful. Straight planks are beautiful too, and cheaper. I have just had my floor done in dark oak engineered wood planks and I am so happy with it. (I think pale wood floors will date faster than parquet.)

I'm still very torn.

Half of me wonders if I just want to try something new, having had solid oak, straight planks all through our house for the last 20yrs. Do I really want the herringbone or do I just feel like I shouldn't pick what I already have.

I think the only thing I'm clear on, is not to get pale wood, because straight or herringbone, it's the paleness that is the fad.

Herringbone all the way, absolutely love mine. Can’t see it dating any time soon

This is lovely. Was it the original and if not, where did you get it from?

If you like the look does it matter if it’s ‘dated’? It’s your house, not a fashion magazine. You’re the one looking at it every day so if it makes you happy then why not? :)

@TheChosenTwowould you mind sharing which oak herringbone you have with underfloor heating? This is exactly what I want but I’m worried it won’t heat properly!

Because we may treat this house as a flipper. So the resale ability in 3-4yrs is something to really consider.

@Rainydayinlondon and @househelp12345 I’m sorry, I can’t remember at all! I’ll ask dh later on, he may.
It’s really hard wearing and hasn’t warped with the heating, we’re really happy with it 8 years on. It’s worn in nicely and has character, definitely not super shiny anymore but that’s fine by us.

We've always had straight planks, first two houses were victorian so we just stripped the original boards. Third house was a newer build so we had engineered oak, it was quite yellow / gold in colour but it looked great against our light grey gloss kitchen. I think the parquet / herringbone also looks lovely but the trick with any trend is not to have everything in that trend and then it won't date too badly.

We have bamboo parquet laid in a herringbone style in a dark stain and it is bomb proof. Much harder than wood. Herringbone is classic and will always be around.

In the guest annexe we have very light oak in straight planks. Never again. It shows every single little speck of dirt.

I'd definitely avoid it then, straight planks are more neutral and that's what you want when selling a house, my heart would sink if I saw herringbone in a house I was viewing as I really don't like it but I can't see straight planks having that effect on anyone.

We have tiles in the utility/ boot room. They are cold, absolutely wouldn’t have them anywhere else. We have straight plant oak floors otherwise and I’m happy with those. I love parquet flooring but can’t face laying it, so much more work than laying the straight planks (we do most of the Reno ourselves)

I think herringbone is classic but prefer straight planks myself

Or indeed, overthinking it, according to DH 😁

Now, I have to ask, what is a "luxurious Dubai blackout curtain" because googling that phrase simply brings up curtain supplies in UAE, and I am most intrigued...

I agree — straight planks look cleaner and more timeless than herringbone right now. Trends change, but simplicity usually lasts longer. It’s a bit like tech — apps or tools that stay flexible and user-friendly (like HappyMod Pro APK in the software world) tend to stay popular because they focus on function over flash.

Depending on your size have you looked at good quality vinyl? Get some great patterns or some v realistic looking herringbone/parquet style. A lot warmer on feet than laminate and easy to lay.

This. I’m undoubtedly older than you and until the last few years, parquet (or the herringbone pattern) was considered dated and most would have ripped it out. Everything dates-I think your safest bet is stripping floorboards if possible, otherwise a stone flooring. My favourite in our family has been Lakeland slate (live up north) - it’s very expensive and yes, cold, however it so forgiving of dirt and dogs paws etc… timeless, too. Both my mother and sister have had underfloor heating and both systems have broken and are unable to be easily fixed-can’t remember whether it is an impossibility to get anyone to fix or it’s just not worth the hassle of bringing the floor up TO fix. Cost would not an issue for either. I certainly would install it to accommodate bare feet - don’t your DH and son wear sliders like half the men in the UK have been lately?!! Good luck with whatever you choose-enjoy it.

I think much depends on your lifestyle and on who is likely to buy your house if you flip it. If you have young children and/or pets you might find that LVT or similar wears better than hardwood, and would look better when you put the house on the market. If your house is likely to appeal to others with young families, they might prefer a lower maintenance option, too.

Similarly, if the house is more likely to sell to a slightly older demographic who are likely to stay for years and don't have to worry about scratches and spills, then real wood could be preferable. I don't know about herringbone/parquet being a 'trend', but again, you need to think about what you like, the style of the rest of the house, and (only if you might want to sell in the near future) who will buy it. If you like herringbone, get it - particularly if the house is older. Things can look 'trendy' in a modern house but often count as 'restored original features' in an older one. Things like wainscoting and fake Victorian fireplaces look good in a house of the right age, but less so in an anachronistic setting.

Also, what is 'in' and 'out' is manufactured to make people spend money. I don't think most people care, or even know what is on trend unless they make an effort to follow influencers, in which case they probably decorate every couple of years anyway, so will just change whatever you've put in. Sooner or later it will come back anyway. We can only buy what is available, so anyone decorating or furnishing a house will have the same colours/finishes/fashions to choose from as everyone else doing it at the same time. Yes, things like budget and quality will vary, but anyone who is hung up on trends will be able to date things to within 5 years anyway, and nobody else will care, unless you've happened to choose their least favourite colour or something. What seems classic one year (farmhouse kitchens, coloured baths etc) will look dated 5 years later. Whether that's important is another matter.