Oh god, does this look crap?

[FlippinEll]

Ordered our new chevron floor and loved it, the pictures online it all blended together and looked somewhat like a real wood floor and I've been so excited but seeing it fitted all I can is see the joins. You can so clearly see the tiles. It looks awful, doesn't it?

Perhaps different lighting may help, more direct lighting from straight above?

I guess that what they did in the catalogue photos?

Is the lighting behind you in your first pic? I wonder if it is like wallpaper and you need to lay it away from the light. Was it professionally laid. Agree it may settle with wear and be less obvious to you.

Looks like a mix of lighting and me just not doing my research well enough. Better get saving for my actual parquet floor then

I have looked a couple of times, and think they haven’t laid it properly. I think the patterns should match up - I have quickstep ultra laminate (not herringbone) and the tiles I have repeat the same patterns (although can be laid randomly in my case). I think the fitters should have matched up the tiles to follow in from each other.

I don’t think it looks too bad, but I can see why you are disappointed. I love our quickstep laminate though, we have it in the bathroom and it’s much nicer than our grotty tiles were.

@Mumtofourandnomore

I have looked a couple of times, and think they haven’t laid it properly. I think the patterns should match up - I have quickstep ultra laminate (not herringbone) and the tiles I have repeat the same patterns (although can be laid randomly in my case). I think the fitters should have matched up the tiles to follow in from each other.

I don’t think it looks too bad, but I can see why you are disappointed. I love our quickstep laminate though, we have it in the bathroom and it’s much nicer than our grotty tiles were.

I agree. If you look at the most obvious horizontal line just beyond the kitchen island if you moved the tile on the right over to the left it would match up pattern wise. I would be inclined to call the fitters and ask them to rectify it.

I think the kitchen looks ok. The units are a bit boring but fine. Don’t like the grey kitchen island. Why does everyone have an obsession with kitchen islands and grey?

In that link to the manufacturer's website you can get the fitting instructions.

It shows there that they should be offset and the short sides shouldn't align.

www.quick-step.co.uk/en-gb/laminate/impressive-patterns/ipa4164_chevron-oak-taupe

Got the first PDF open in the downloads section and check page 4.

I love it

I wanted to go for this type of floor, but knew I wouldn't be happy with the joins being like that, so went for something else.
However that said yours does look nice. It might be that in a few weeks you've got used to it and you barely notice the joins.

Oh I’ve just realised what you mean! Sorry, I thought the individual rectangles were tiles. I honestly couldn’t see the outline of the big square tiles until I zoomed right in once I’d realised what you mean.

@Nacreous

In that link to the manufacturer's website you can get the fitting instructions.

It shows there that they should be offset and the short sides shouldn't align.

www.quick-step.co.uk/en-gb/laminate/impressive-patterns/ipa4164_chevron-oak-taupe

Got the first PDF open in the downloads section and check page 4.

This is really clever, good job looking it up.

Seems like a bad fitting job?

@Annebronte

But if it was real wood herringbone parquet, it would be made of wooden tiles and there would be joins. It looks fine!

This ^ I think it looks nice and didn’t notice anything with it I would expect it to be separate pieces, that’s less ‘fake’ then having a section of pieces, if you see what I mean

Oh! 🤦‍♀️
Now I can see it!
I didn’t notice the tile lines before but now I can see them and can’t unsee them!
Yes totally see what you mean and didn’t know they came in square tiles like that!
(I don’t think I’d notice if I came into your kitchen though, it’s a good optical illusion)

It looks fine!

I have parquet...

It's a nightmare. Love it, loads of character but I've had to put carpet over it in high traffic areas as it was getting trashed.

Give me practical flooring every time.

I personally can see it straight away and wouldn't be happy with that look. To be fair, OP, it looks the same on the manufacturer's website, they clearly are separate rectangle tiles. If you wanted individual tiles suitable to be laid in herringbone then perhaps Amtico and the likes would have been a better choice.

I think some posters may not see what OP is referring to btw looking at the responses, but once you see it, it doesn't look great.

I can see what you mean, when you open the pic properly you can see the outline of the square tiles. I don’t think there is any way round that.

@PurplePansy05

I think some posters may not see what OP is referring to btw looking at the responses, but once you see it, it doesn't look great.

Agreed, i'm surprised to see so many it looks fine / great responses. I can see what the OP means and it would drive me to distraction. It looks poorly / incorrectly fitted, so i'd want the fitters back to change it.

I think if this is the look you had in mind then you chose the wrong product (this is Amtico Herringbone in Cornish Oak btw).

[quote DE8ORAH]I wondered if it had been laid correctly but in fact it looks the same on the manufacturers website

www.quick-step.co.uk/en-gb/laminate/impressive-patterns/ipa4164_chevron-oak-taupe[/quote]
I don’t think it looks awful at all Op, but in the second pic of the link it looks like they’ve offset the pattern, rather than laid them straight - I’m honestly not sure that’s any better though, and I’m not sure offsetting the joins as some PP have suggested would make much odds either.

I think it looks absolutely fine, laminate wood effect will always look like what it is. I think that perhaps you had conjured the actual wood floor in your mind?

If it’s not very expensive to replace, I would try living with it for 3 months, and if you still really hate it, replace with a design that’s not fake wood - that would look better TBH - cork is one thought - cheap and warm, albeit a bit 70s.

Would you really have a wood floor in a kitchen in the long term? It will batter the wood somewhat, tiles would wear longer.

I don’t think it looks bad. I think the issue is that you will never get the same look with tiles as with wooden herringbone. It is also possible that the grouting between tiles is too wide - perhaps it would have been less noticeable with a thinner gap?

A few people have suggested getting the tiles relaid - not so easy - a lot will undoubtedly get broken in the process if you can indeed lift them off, plus the floor may well need leveling again...

@PurplePansy05

I think if this is the look you had in mind then you chose the wrong product (this is Amtico Herringbone in Cornish Oak btw).

I think the issue is when you open the pic properly you can easily see it is square tiles that contain a herringbone bone pattern. Like this.

I think the issue is when you open the pic properly you can easily see it is square tiles that contain a herringbone bone pattern. Like this.

And in addition to this, the entire second section from the left looks a completely different colour. It could be the lighting, but it could also be a different batch with a darker colouring.

Please don’t start ripping your floor up. I promise you that in a few weeks you won’t even notice it.