Herringbone (espina de pescado)
Rectangular planks with square ends meet at 90 degrees, so the end of one butts against the side of the next. It uses left and right pieces, called A and B, which come labeled in separate boxes.
Patterns and custom designs
Herringbone, parquet and custom pattern floors in Medellín
With Pisos Pro Medellín, your living room or shop can have a herringbone, chevron or parquet floor laid out to fit the space. We are specialist flooring installers with more than 15 years of work and over 900 projects in Medellín and the metro area.
A pattern is not installed like a straight-lay floor: it is designed on the floor plan, set out with a laser and cut piece by piece against walls that are almost never square. That craft is what makes the pattern look centered as you walk in instead of crooked by the picture window.
We work with owners, architects and interior designers who want a statement floor, and with people who want to save the original parquet in an apartment from the 1970s or 80s.
- Laser layout
- Hardwood, engineered or SPC
- Parquet restoration
- 1-year warranty
Herringbone and parquet floor installation in Medellín
The job starts with a drawing of the pattern over the floor plan, where we decide which way the points run, where the borders go and how doorways and room changes are handled. You approve that design before any material is purchased.
Next comes the on-site layout, piece-by-piece installation, perimeter frames or borders, and whatever finish the chosen material calls for. Living rooms, dining rooms, entry halls, restaurants and clothing stores are where we install it most.
Patterns we install
Chevron (Hungarian point)
The ends are cut at an angle, usually 30 to 45 degrees, and meet to form a continuous V. You cannot fake it by cutting straight planks on site: it requires product manufactured for chevron.
Block parquet, checkerboard and basketweave
Short strips grouped into square blocks that alternate direction, like a chessboard or a woven basket. It is the classic floor in many buildings in Laureles, Conquistadores and El Poblado built in the 70s and 80s.
Borders, frames and inlays
One- or two-plank borders that frame the pattern, direction changes at doorways and combinations of light and dark species. They also help disguise walls that are out of square.
The same pattern in hardwood, engineered, SPC or porcelain
The design does not force you into solid hardwood. Herringbone now comes in several materials, and each one shifts the budget and where the floor can be used.
| Material | Relative cost | Water resistance | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood strips | High | Low | Can be sanded and refinished many times |
| Engineered hardwood herringbone | Medium high | Medium | One or more sandings depending on the wear layer |
| Click-lock SPC herringbone | Medium | High | Simple cleaning; cannot be sanded |
| Wood-look porcelain in herringbone format | Medium | Very high | Grout and cleaning; cannot be sanded |
If you prefer straight planks, see solid hardwood installation or SPC flooring.
Layout and setting out: why patterns demand more precision
First we find the room's visual axis, which is almost always the line you see entering through the front door or the one running out from the main window. Along that axis we snap a center guide with a cross-line laser level, and the pattern is built out to both sides from there.
A 2 mm error in the first row turns into several centimeters by the time it reaches the far wall. So we fix the first pieces against a straightedge screwed down temporarily and check for square every few rows.
Walls in Medellín are rarely square, especially in older buildings. That offset is absorbed in the perimeter border, which is why material waste climbs to 10 to 15%.
Common flaws in a badly laid pattern and how we prevent them
The pattern drifts
The pattern starts straight and arrives crooked at the other end of the room. It happens when nobody controls the guide line; we check it with the laser every four or five rows.
Open joints at the points
In herringbone, each end rests against the side of another piece, and if the wood is not acclimated those joints are the first to open. We test the batch's moisture before starting and never install boards that read above the site's range.
A and B pieces mixed up
An inexperienced installer confuses the left and right boxes and ends up trimming tongues to force the fit. We separate and label the boxes from day one.
Hollow-sounding blocks
In glue-down parquet, adhesive spread with the wrong trowel leaves voids under the short pieces. We use the notched trowel the manufacturer specifies and roll each block down firmly.
Vintage parquet restoration
Many apartments in El Poblado and Laureles still have original parquet glued down 40 years ago with adhesives that have since turned brittle. The blocks sound hollow, come loose in clusters and leave gaps that collect dirt.
We lift the loose pieces, scrape off the old adhesive and set them again with fresh glue. Missing blocks are replaced with pieces salvaged from inside a closet, which have the same aged tone.
Finally the whole floor is sanded and refinished through our hardwood floor refinishing service. The result often looks like a new floor at a fraction of the cost of replacing it.
Why a pattern costs more than a straight-lay install
Labor for a patterned floor in Medellín runs COP $70,000 to $120,000 per m², versus $40,000 to $65,000 for straight-laid engineered hardwood. Installed with material, the reference range is $250,000 to $550,000 per m² depending on the species; the exact price is set after the visit.
| Factor | Straight lay | Herringbone or chevron |
|---|---|---|
| Cuts per m² | Few, only at the edges | Many, at every wall |
| Advance layout | Half a day | 1 to 2 days with an approved design |
| Waste | 5 to 8% | 10 to 15% |
| Border or frame | Not applicable | Adds linear meters of fine cutting |
| Crew speed | 15 to 25 m² per day | 6 to 12 m² per day |
Compare with other materials in our Medellín flooring price guide.
Herringbone and parquet FAQ
How much extra material should I buy for herringbone?
Plan on 10 to 15% over the measured area. The higher figure applies to spaces with many corners, columns or out-of-square walls, because every meeting point creates a diagonal cut that cannot be reused.
Can herringbone be installed as a floating floor?
Yes, with click products designed for herringbone, in SPC or engineered hardwood. The limit is size: runs longer than 8 to 10 meters need expansion transition strips, and some manufacturers require gluing it down.
How long does it take to install parquet in a 30 m² living room?
For glue-down wood that is sanded and finished on site, allow 6 to 9 days: 3 or 4 for installation and the rest for sanding, finish coats and drying. For prefinished SPC or engineered product, 2 to 3 days.
Let's design your floor pattern
Send us a photo or floor plan of the space and we will propose the pattern direction, border and best-suited material. The measuring visit is free.
All pattern work is covered by a 1-year labor warranty against loose pieces, open joints or installation-related unevenness.
Pisos Pro Medellín
Tv. 6 #45-115, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Monday to Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.