HELP?? I am having problems laying my staple down herringbone oak floor. I have pulled up my first attempt and am about to start again. The instructions I have found on the WEB differ. Several British instructions state you lay one arrow course down the room first then lay adjacent courses. This means you don't get a even spred on the three staples per board. I used the Bob Vila Home Again method which shows the layment across the room first, side by side V courses. The herringbone white oak I'm using has the tongue on one side and three sides grove. I'm using end splines on the 3 1/4x 16 1/4x 3/4 boards with no tongue. I had the pattern spread on me over the 25 foot wide room after running 5 courses across the room. I suspect that a shortcut I took in cutting some of the beginning edge boards first, allowed loss of alignment. I plan to cut the boards (Festool saw and router) in place to run an accent strip and frame (3 ¼ oak) around the room. My room is large 25x25 feet, with several angled walls and and stairs cut out of the space.

I'm about to try the English technique by laying one course of the tongue edge “V” down the room first and filling in the adjacent columns down the room. I'm using 2” staples and had a lot of fun removing the boards. Only lost a few boards, using a pry bar and a hacksaw blade to cut the staples. Boy do those staples hold in my osb and plywood sub floor.

Do any of you have any better suggestions, beside getting an herringbone expert? I’m in a rural area with a building boom and few flooring contractors.

I have only helped on one herringbone.

We popped 3 lines .

One for the peak down the center and one on each side of that for the leg points. They were not popped the same distance away from the center line, because of stagger.


Someone has pictures here of a gluedown herringbone, using lazers as lines to follow. I have also heard of using 3 string lines suspended above the flooring, pulled tight.

Use a powernailer model 45. A stapler will jack your work around. Trust me.

Seems like there was a guy here that posted somes pics on his herringbone install. Ian Gilham used to post here on accasion, and the Floormasters site, his website laid out the herringbone install pretty well. I'll dig around and see if I can find it.

I've done a few. When nailing, you have to work side to side, when gluing, it's different. The T&G makes it difficult when installing. On this job here, there was no T&G and he was gluing it down. Much easier.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... .php?t=371

I have the install instructions in my NWFA manuel but I'm not scanning them to post here. Chuck is right about the nailing. You can get off in a hurry so watch your lines and air pressure. Don't worry about getting the flooring tight together, just stay to your lines and measurements. You'll be trowel filling afterwards. Herringbone can be one of the more difficult and time consuming installs. Maybe SK will be able to dig up the site for you.

It's in the photo gallery



http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... .php?t=371

Yea, that's the same link I posted!

I finished about half of the floor with staples, with little trouble this time. I layed the floor across the room ( side by side "V") being very carefull about squareness. I've layed about 350 square feet to date. I have had to make some small adjustments. I had to pry up the first false start of about 100 boards and cut the staples with a hacksaw blade. My 1/2"plywood over 3/4" T&G OSB really holds the staples. I'm adding tonges to the grove ends without tonges.

I have gone thru 120 feet of the 3 " pieces. This may be overkill for the board ends but it makes me feel the herringbone is tight. especially along the edges that I plan to cut in place for accent strips and a 12" frame. I'll have to keep my wife away from English movies with herringbone floors in the future. Thanks for the Help.