Installed 200 sq ft of herringbone pattern this week and only messed up twice

I finished a parlor floor in a 1920s house over in Oak Park. The homeowner wanted a herringbone layout with solid white oak. I had to recut maybe two pieces near the hearth because my angles were off. Made me realize I should draw the pattern on the subfloor first instead of just winging it from the wall. Has anyone else found a trick for keeping those little pieces locked tight during glue-down?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_mitchell23d agoMost Upvoted

Did you try a roller before it sets? That usually saves me from having to redo edges.

amygonzalez23d ago

Mila_mitchell nailed it with the roller tip. I use a heavy 100-pound roller after every section and it pushes those little pieces right into the glue bed. Another thing that saved me on a tight herringbone run was putting a 2x4 across the whole pattern and tapping it with a deadblow hammer right after rolling. Keeps everything flush until the glue grabs. For really small pieces near hearths or corners I even pre-wet the subfloor with a thin layer of glue let it get tacky before setting them. That stops the sliding issue cold.