Choose the Perfect Floor Pattern

For any home improvement project, it’s always best to start from a solid foundation. That means your interior design plans should start from the flooring design and work up from there. The look of the different floor patterns in your home influence a room’s appearance, not only from the style and color but also the visual impression of the room’s size. If you’re planning a new wood floor or remodeling a tile floor, the floor pattern you choose can have a big impact. We’ve gathered the basics of choosing the floor pattern layout and design to help you find the best new look for your floors.

Flooring Types and Other Options

Just like you can customize the walls with a custom color or matte vs glossy paint, you can design your own flooring layout, too. It starts by choosing the flooring material, either by the aesthetic that you prefer or by the demands of your home. The most common choices of customizable flooring materials are tiles, wood planks, laminate or luxury vinyl plank options, bricks, or even carpet tiles.

The application location can also influence your choice, whether it’s for indoor or outdoor flooring, wall accents or backsplashes, or for bath and shower areas. For instance, a kitchen or bathroom floor remodel calls for water resistant or waterproof materials. High traffic areas can benefit from an easy to care for tile floor, and the mosaic look of a patterned tile backsplash provides durable, waterproof design. Even the age of your home and the local building codes can influence the ultimate decision if a particular flooring is required for access or authenticity.

There are a variety of shapes to help guide the look of the floor design. Those shapes come in different forms, as with a mosaic floor, or the distinct shapes of the rectangles and squares that make up a parquet floor tile. They can be found in the basic shapes of rectangles or planks, smaller squares, or the unique angles of hexagons and triangles. All of them combine in familiar or custom ways to create the different floor patterns that fit your home and style.

Pattern Design Ideas

Whether you’re working with hardwood flooring planks or tiles, planning a floor design layout or a kitchen sink backsplash, there are common styles to choose from. You might recognize the look of subway tile pattern or chevron wood floors, but there are many familiar patterns. Here’s what to look for as you plan a new tile kitchen floor or cool wood floor patterns for the entry way.

Chevron Pattern

An easily recognized floor pattern, the chevron pattern wood floor is created by angling two planks to connect at the center of a V-shape. It looks like an arrow point and repeats for the length of the room, with defined straight lines formed between each plank across the width of the room. This is achieved by cutting the ends of the planks at 45-degree angles and fitting them snug together at diagonals. It provides clear straight lines and diagonal line movement across the entire floor. The cutting required for chevron flooring makes it one of the more difficult flooring patterns and creates a lot of waste, requiring extra flooring material up front.

Herringbone Pattern

Whether as a wood parquet or herringbone tile pattern, the herringbone pattern layout is another easily recognized floor design. It also creates an arrow-point, V-shaped pattern across the floor, with a waving, stepped visual movement. Using alternating shades or colors in herringbone flooring can add a three-dimensional look for extra interest. The herringbone pattern is created by angling the planks at 90-degrees to each other to create the diagonal lines. Herringbone patterns allow the use of the full plank of wood, tile, or luxury vinyl, without complicated end cuts.

Weave or Basketweave Pattern

There are a variety of weave patterns. Weaves are usually placed together as interlocking pieces within a framed design. It relies on rectangular and square shaped tiles or planks to create lines in a design that look like a woven, hatchwork pattern. Alternating colors or shades of the planks or tile can highlight the pattern as it repeats, more clearly than a single shade in the crosshatch pattern. Weave patterns are one of the less-complicated varieties as they don’t require angled cuts.

Parquet Flooring

Wood floors have a specific weave series called parquetry. Parquet wood floor designs range from a single weave of stacked planks placed side by side and at 90-degree angles to each other, to diagonal overlapping illusions created within a frame for a three-dimensional style.

Some parquet designs include curved pieces, with very design-specific cuts to create the inlay. Parquet is highly custom flooring, making it one of the most difficult flooring types to install. Some designs can be found in ready-to-fit square planks for easier installation.

Grid Pattern

As a tile or wood floor pattern, the grid or stack bond pattern is very common on wall applications as well as floor layouts. The grid pattern aligns the tiles or planks at each corner, giving the visual appearance of being stacked in straight lines.

There is some variation with grid patterns, such as stacking the planks horizontally or vertically, or alternating the stacked rows so that the horizontal lines are spaced offset to each other. The grid pattern works well with rectangular or square shaped tiles or planks. Subway tile patterns often include the clean vertical and horizontal rows of the grid pattern.

Corridor Pattern

The corridor pattern is a variation of the grid pattern. It alternates stacks of horizontal, rectangular tile or planks with vertical-placed pieces to break up the visual lines into distinct rows.

Soldier Pattern

Another variation of the grid pattern is the soldier pattern tile design. The soldier pattern stacks the tiles in a grid pattern vertically, rather than horizontally. Another variation of the soldier pattern is to stack the tiles in rows and then turn the next section of tiles to run vertical rather than horizontal, then repeating the pattern in alternating rows.

Offset Pattern

An offset pattern, also known as the running bond, alternates the placement of the planks by half the width of the plank below or to the longest side, row by row. This is very common with brick patterns, whether for indoor use or outdoor patios. The ever-popular subway tile pattern flooring layout often uses the offset pattern horizontal strip design. It also shows up in wall designs frequently, such as with a subway tile pattern kitchen or bath backsplash

A variation of the offset pattern is the staggered floor pattern, which you can create by alternating shades or colors every other plank to create both horizontal and vertical design lines across the floor.

Another way to customize an offset floor pattern is to arrange the tile layout at a 45-degree angle and set the tile in a diagonal strip pattern for added visual movement in the room. Because of the angle, diagonal patterns require extra cuts to fit at the walls of the room and require up to 15% more flooring material than other designs.

Flemish Bond Pattern

The Flemish bond pattern is an offset pattern that alternates between a rectangular plank followed by a square. The next row is then started at an offset, slightly off center, so that the squares and rectangular tiles stack without any corner angles lining up. This is very popular with brick patterns as well as for tile backsplash.

Quarter-turn Pattern

The quarter-turn pattern is usually seen with patterned or decorative tile. It is created by arranging square tiles in a stacked, grid tile pattern and then setting each individual tile at a 90-degree angle to their neighbor. The quarter-turn is often found with carpet tiles, or other tiles with distinct surface patterns, such as marble.

Mixed-width Pattern

It’s important to keep in mind that the visual lines created by plank or tile floors can change the appearance of a room’s size. For instance, a small, narrow room will appear to shrink if lined with wide planks because a single plank takes up so much visual space. The same room will seem more open if the floor is lined with narrow planks or alternates between narrow and wider planks in a random pattern.

The use of random, mixed-width patterns allows for a visual variety, mixing up the lines, to fit more planks into the smaller area. Aim for a pattern and color shades that look fit and neat rather than cluttered and busy.

Another flooring layout tip is to always run the planks along the longest direction of the room, meaning that for a rectangular shaped room, the long side of the plank or tile should be in line with the longest wall. This is especially true in spaces like hallways or entryways, to draw the attention into the room.

Three-dimensional Floor Patterns

The look of a parquet wood floor is so sought after because of the customized, three-dimensional designs created within the flooring. Even the parquet patterns can be replicated using other flooring materials. There are a variety of well known, recognizable styles to choose from, whether planning a wood floor or designing for tile, LVT planks, or laminate flooring.

Some experienced designers will use these common patterns as a starting point and then develop their own unique twist to their floor layout. For more ideas on that process, read our Inspired By interview with designer Gloribell Lebron on her home upgrade project.

Look for wood and tile patterns like:

• Aremberg, or D’aremberg flooring patterns
• Bordeaux
• Chalosse
• Chantilly, or latticework
• Diamond or Diamant floor patterns
• Echelle
• Modular
• Monticello
• Pinwheel, or spiral tile patterns
• Triangle floor patterns
• Versailles
• Windmill floor pattern

These floor patterns are among the most difficult to install because they often require complicated cuts, as well as placing the individual designs piece by piece unless the designs come either pre-assembled or as prefabricated parquet pieces. They require very careful measuring and planning, as well as precise placement.

For customized floor or wall patterns like these, whether dealing with wood, LVT, or tile floorings, plan on purchasing much more material than the room’s square footage would otherwise require. The precise cuts create a lot of waste, from unused pieces that don’t fit the pattern, to the broken pieces that may not have been cut right the first time.

It’s good to always buy more than the floor measurements say you’ll need. If you don’t buy more than necessary when you first purchase the materials, you run the risk of not having enough of the same type or color material to finish the entire floor.

The Basics on Floor Measurements

A key consideration in your floor layout is the total size you have to work with. The more space there is to cover, and the more complicated the patterns or the cuts of the tile, the more flooring material will be required. It is relatively easy to find the square footage of the room, and there are a few tips to make sure you stay on track every step of the way, with whatever flooring material you choose.

When your project will include more than one room, always get the measurements for each room before you begin. This allows you to buy enough flooring material to complete the entire project, ensuring continuous style and color availability.

First, start with a diagram or a sketch of the room, especially if you’re planning a new floor for more than one room. A simple sketch helps keep track of the shape of the room, if there are interruptions or obstacles like walls, kitchen islands or bars, or different flooring types such as in an entry way.

How to Measure A Floor

It’s best to measure a room in simplified shapes, like a rectangle or square, and then apply some simple math. (Don’t worry, this isn’t a pop-quiz. Grab that calculator!)

Try to keep things in easy-to-visualize shapes to cover each area without overlapping. For instance, treat an L-shaped room like two rooms, taking the narrowest wall-to-wall width and the full length as one room, and treat the remaining section as its own room. This is where a diagram or sketch of the room comes in very useful.

Quick and easy steps to measure for flooring:

1. Measure the room from wall to wall, getting a measurement for the full length and width of the room.
2. Measure for the length and width of any additional spaces, such as a closet or an offset alcove.
3. Measure any obstacles that interrupt the floor space, such as a kitchen island or a partial wall. Measure these at the baseboards to account for the actual floor space used, rather than countertop dimensions.
4. Convert the measurements into decimals. This can be done easily by rounding the distance up to the nearest half-foot mark. For instance, a width of 12’4” would round up to 12’6” or 12.5 feet. This provides a little extra square footage when you purchase the flooring material, as well as the easier to work with decimals.
5. For each room, multiply the length by the width. If you have an odd-shaped room, take each separate area individually, multiplying the length by the width of each area, and then add the totals together to arrive at the square footage of the room.
6. For rooms with obstacles, multiply the length by the width of the wall or island to get the square footage. Subtract that total from the total square footage of the room’s measurements.

The square footage is the amount of flooring material you will need to buy and have on hand before you begin your project. Different material types are sold in different allotments, such as carpet which is sold by rolls, or laminate planks which are sold by the box, but the measurements will still rely on the square footage to be covered. For flooring material sold by the yard, take the square footage total and divide it by 9 (as a yard is 3 feet, and 3 squared is 9.)

How to Measure Stairs

One of the trickier floors to cover can be steps or stairs. You’ll need to collect these measurements from the step subfloor, not measure over the existing floor covering, due to the additional dimensions added by the padding.

To measure the stairs:

1. Measure the length and width of the nosing, or overhang edge, usually found on carpeted stairs. This is the top front edge of the step, where the carpet is folded over.
2. Measure the tread of the step for the width and length. (The stair tread is the horizontal plank that you step on.) Multiply length and width together.
3. Measure the riser from edge to edge, width and length. (The riser is the vertical plank that supports the tread.) Multiply the length and width.
4. Add the totals together for the square footage of a single stair step.
5. If all of the stairs are of equal size and shape, you can multiply the results by the number of stair steps total.

As with general measurements, it’s better to have extra materials to have on hand to work with than to risk running out before the end of the project. Add 10% to the total when purchasing the flooring material to account for padding under the carpet or other installation waste.

Carpet Measuring Tips

When considering a carpeted floor, keep in mind that carpeting is sold in lengths by the roll. Usually these rolls are available in widths of 12’ to 15’ that are then seamed together when fit to the floor area. The seams should be laid out and merged in a way that allows the pattern to continue without interruption. This includes making sure that lines, designs, and color areas all match up edge to edge in a way that the line between the carpet sections isn’t noticeable.

Measuring for Wood Floors, LVT, and Laminates

Wood flooring and laminate planks are sold in boxes, usually containing about 20 square feet per box. When it comes to buying the flooring material, take the total square footage of your project and divide it by the square footage in a single box.

As an example:

12 x 15 = 180 sq. ft.

180 / 20 = 9 boxes, at 20 sq. ft. each

For wood or LVT planks, be prepared to add 5 to 15% to allow for design waste, broken pieces, or for colors and grain variations that don’t fit your planned pattern. One way to do this is to multiply the minimum 5% by the total square footage, or by 1.05 to work with the decimals.

From the earlier example, then:

180 sq. ft. x 1.05 = 189 sq. ft.

Or for the recommended 15% for a complicated layout like a diagonal pattern, multiply the total by 1.15 to find the project total.

Tile Floor Measuring Tips

When measuring a room for a new tile floor, it can be helpful to add as much as ½ foot to the length and width of the room’s measurements to allow for the expected cutting waste. The extra square footage can go directly to accommodating the waste cut off from the layout or can be saved for future use in repairs or other home projects.

Tile flooring is usually sold in boxes that include 10 square feet of tile per box. The box makes it easier to move and work with the tiles through the course of your project. It will also have the specific tile design information, such as a lot number, tile style or name, or the color variety, which may be useful for matching future home projects.

Another important note about buying tile is that some layout designs will require more waste by default, meaning the tiles will need to be cut into smaller pieces and that results in not all of the tile being used when different pieces break or don’t match the pattern. Diagonal flooring patterns and custom tile sizes or prints create a lot of wasted tile pieces. All of these custom installations can be complicated, so don’t hesitate to call in the professionals.