CRAFT Hardwood Guides
Border or No Border? Design Decisions for Herringbone Floors
The design considerations that will help you decide whether a border enhances or detracts from your herringbone floor — and how to get the detail right if you choose one.
Written by Wojciech, founder of CRAFT Hardwood | Updated May 2026 | 10 min read
The border question divides opinion more than almost any other decision in herringbone floor design.
Some clients arrive at the site visit certain they want one. Others are equally certain they don't. Most are somewhere in between — drawn to the elegance of a well-bordered floor but uncertain whether it's right for their specific room, worried it might look fussy, or unsure what a border actually involves in practice.
This guide works through every consideration that should influence the decision. Not to push you toward one answer or the other, but to give you the framework to make the right choice for your room.
What a border actually is
A border is a frame of timber running around the perimeter of the herringbone or parquet field. It sits between the edge of the patterned floor and the skirting board, creating a visual boundary that defines the floor as a complete, considered design rather than a pattern that simply runs to the wall.
Borders come in different forms:
Single line border — one strip of timber (usually one row of parquet blocks), typically 70mm wide, running around the perimeter. The simplest and most versatile border option. Clean, elegant, works in most settings.
Double line border — two parallel strips (usually two rows of parquet blocs), often fitted with contrasting feature line, creating a more elaborate frame. More formal, suits period properties with substantial architectural detailing.
Wide plank border — one row of wide planks, typically160-200mm wide, usually with mitred corners, can be fitted with contrasting feature line, creating a bolder frame. Formal, suits spacious properties creating defined frame around the patterned floor
Parquet border with mitred corners — a wider border incorporating its own pattern element, often in a perpendicular arrangement to the main herringbone field. The most complex and traditional option, most commonly seen in formal Victorian and Edwardian reception rooms.
Contrasting species border — using a different timber species in the border rather than just a different orientation of the same oak. Walnut against oak is a classic combination — dark border framing a lighter herringbone field.
Each creates a different effect. Understanding which suits your room begins with understanding why borders exist at all.
Why borders exist — the original purpose
Borders aren't purely decorative. They solve a practical and visual problem.
When a herringbone pattern runs to the edge of a room, the final boards at the perimeter are almost always cut at an angle — partial blocks that don't complete the pattern. Without a border, these cut edges are visible around the entire perimeter of the floor, creating an unfinished, unresolved look.
A border covers those cut edges completely. It terminates the herringbone field cleanly and provides a frame within which the full pattern can be seen.
This is why borders feel so natural in rooms where the herringbone pattern is the primary visual feature. The border isn't an addition to the floor — it's the completion of it.
Understanding this also explains why borders feel wrong in some contexts. In a long narrow hallway where the herringbone runs the full length of the space, a border running around all four walls can feel like it's containing rather than completing — interrupting the flow rather than framing it.
1. Does the architecture call for it?
Architecture is the most reliable guide to border decisions.
Victorian and Edwardian properties — original parquet floors in these homes almost always had borders. The architecture of these rooms — high ceilings, substantial cornicing, deep skirting boards, fireplaces as focal points — is formal and considered. A border is architecturally correct here. Its absence can feel like something is missing.
When we restore Victorian and Edwardian parquet floors, we often find the original border intact even when the main field is badly worn. The border was made of the same timber and laid with the same care. Reinstating it as part of a restoration is one of the most satisfying parts of the work.
1930s properties — the architecture is less formal than Victorian but still symmetrical and considered. Borders work well in the principal reception rooms. In more informal spaces — kitchens, studies, playrooms — a border can feel heavier than the room warrants.
Contemporary and modern properties — this is where the answer is genuinely less certain. Some modern rooms suit a border beautifully — particularly where the ceiling height, room proportions, and overall design are formal enough to carry it.
Many modern rooms look better without one. The clean, unframed quality of a border-free herringbone floor suits minimal architecture in a way that a bordered floor doesn't.
Open-plan spaces — generally no border. A border defines a room's perimeter. In an open-plan space that flows from kitchen to dining to living area, a border becomes an interruption rather than a frame. If the herringbone runs through the entire open space, the floor should too.
2. Room size and proportion
Border width needs to be proportionate to the room. This is where many borders go wrong — not in the decision to have one, but in the choice of width.
A 150mm border in a 12m² hallway might be too heavy. It takes up a disproportionate amount of the floor area and makes the room feel smaller. A 50mm single line border in a 60m² reception room is too fine — it disappears and fails to frame the floor adequately.
As a general guide:
Small rooms up to 15m² — no border, or a single line border.
Medium rooms 15-35m² — a single or double line border . Wide enough to read clearly, proportionate to the room.
Large rooms 35m²+ — a plank border of 160mm, or a double border where the architecture warrants it. Larger rooms can carry more elaborate border treatments.
The other proportion consideration is the relationship between the border width and the herringbone block size. A border that is narrower than the herringbone blocks looks out of scale. A border that is significantly wider than the blocks looks unrelated.
In most cases, the best visual balance comes from using a border width that is around one to two times the width of the herringbone blocks. This is why herringbone borders are commonly created using the same blocks as the main floor pattern, helping the design feel consistent, balanced, and well-proportioned throughout the space.
3. The shape of the room
Room shape affects the border decision in ways that aren't always obvious.
Square rooms — the natural home for a border. A square room with a centred herringbone field and an even border on all four sides creates perfect symmetry. The border reinforces the geometry of the room rather than fighting it.
Rectangular rooms — work well with borders but require more thought about the corner treatment. Mitred corners (where the border blocks meet at 45 degrees at each corner) give a considered, crafted finish.
Irregular rooms — alcoves, bay windows, chimney breasts, and rooms that aren't true rectangles create challenges for borders. A border that follows an irregular perimeter can look restless rather than elegant. In rooms with significant irregularities, no border is often the cleaner choice.
Rooms with many interruptions — doorways, fireplaces, radiator pipes, and built-in furniture all interrupt the border line. Each interruption requires a decision: does the border run through the doorway, stop at the doorway (creating a visible termination and meeting the soldier course), or wrap around the obstacle? In rooms with many such interruptions, the border can become more of a problem to solve than a design feature.
4. How the floor connects to adjacent spaces
This is one of the most practical considerations and one of the most commonly overlooked.
A border works as a frame when the floor it frames is seen as a complete, contained space.
The moment the herringbone runs from one room into another through a doorway, the frame is broken — and a border that only exists in one room can look incomplete or arbitrary.
If the herringbone runs through multiple rooms: either both rooms have a coordinated border treatment, or neither does. A border in the living room that disappears at the doorway into a hallway with the same floor looks unresolved.
If the herringbone meets a different floor type at a doorway: a border works well here because it provides a considered termination point before the transition to the adjacent floor. This is one of the strongest arguments for a border — it turns a necessary transition into a deliberate design moment.
If the herringbone runs up to a step change in level: a border combined with a threshold strip at a height change looks intentional and well-designed. Without a border, the same transition can feel abrupt.
5. Timber choice for the border
The border timber is typically one of three options:
Same species, different orientation — oak border in a perpendicular or longitudinal orientation to the herringbone field. Subtle, coherent, works in most settings. The border reads as a frame without introducing a new element.
Different species — walnut is the most common choice for contrast borders against oak. The dark, rich chocolate tones of walnut against natural or honey oak is a classic combination with a long history in English parquet floors. More expensive than an oak border but creates a genuinely striking result.
The practical consideration with different species: they age differently. Walnut will develop a slightly different patina to oak over time. In most rooms this isn't perceptible, but in rooms with strong direct sunlight it's worth discussing with your installer.
6. The corner detail
Corners are where borders succeed or fail in terms of craftsmanship.
A well-executed border has mitred corners — where the border strips are cut at 45 degrees and meet cleanly at each corner of the room. This requires precise measurement, careful cutting, and experience. When done well, it looks effortless. When done poorly, gaps at the mitre joints or misaligned angles are immediately visible.
Butt joints at corners — where the border pieces simply meet end to end — are quicker and easier to install, but they can sometimes look less refined. While they may work well in more informal spaces, they are generally not recommended where the border is intended to be a deliberate design feature. In these settings, mitred corners usually provide a cleaner and more elegant finish.
If a contractor quotes a border without mentioning corner treatment, ask specifically how they handle the corners. The answer will tell you a great deal about their attention to detail.
7. Cost — what a border actually adds
A border adds cost in two ways: materials and labour.
The material cost depends on the timber chosen — an oak border adds less than a walnut border. The labour cost reflects the additional precision required — setting out the border correctly, cutting the field herringbone to stop cleanly at the border line, cutting the border strips, and executing the mitred corners.
As a broad guide, a well-executed single line border adds approximately 10-20% to the overall installation cost of the floor it frames. More elaborate double borders or contrasting species borders add more.
This is not where to economise. A border that isn't executed to the same standard as the rest of the floor is worse than no border. If budget is tight and the choice is between a well-installed border-free floor and a border that's been rushed or simplified to fit the budget, choose the floor without the border.
The honest answer to the question
There is no universal right answer between border and no border. But there are better and worse answers for specific rooms.
A border almost certainly belongs in your room if: it is a formal period reception room, the floor is the principal design feature, the room is a clear contained space without complex interruptions, and the architecture has the weight to carry the additional visual element.
A border probably doesn't belong in your room if: it is a contemporary open-plan space, the room is small or irregular, the herringbone runs through multiple connected spaces, or the overall design intention is minimal and unadorned.
When we visit a property, the border question usually resolves itself within a few minutes of being in the room. The architecture either calls for it or it doesn't.
The floor lasts thirty years. The decision is worth ten minutes of careful thought.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I add a border to an existing herringbone floor?
A: Not without significant work. Adding a border requires removing the perimeter boards of the existing floor, cutting back the herringbone field, installing the border, and then refinishing the entire floor to achieve a consistent surface. It's possible but expensive — more like a partial restoration than a simple addition. It's much easier to decide on the border before installation than after.
Q: What width border do you recommend for a typical Victorian living room?
A: For a typical Victorian reception room of 20-30m², a single or double line border of 70-140mm is usually proportionate. Wider borders suit larger rooms or rooms with particularly deep skirting and substantial cornicing. We'll advise specifically based on the room dimensions and architecture during the site visit.
Q: Should the border match the herringbone or contrast with it?
A: Both approaches work. A same-tone border in a different orientation is subtle and suits rooms where the herringbone itself is the feature. A contrasting border — darker or a different species — creates stronger definition and suits rooms where the floor needs to read as a complete, framed composition. The choice depends on the room's overall design and your personal preference.
Q: Does a border make a room look smaller?
A: A border that is too wide for the room can make it feel smaller by reducing the apparent floor area. A well-proportioned border generally doesn't — it creates definition rather than compression. In small rooms, a one row border or no border at all is the safer choice.
Q: Can I have a border in an open-plan space?
A: Generally not recommended. A border defines a contained space — it works against the intention of open-plan design. If you want to define zones within an open-plan space, a change of pattern direction or a threshold strip is usually a better solution than a perimeter border.
Q: How long does adding a border extend the installation time?
A: A well-executed border on a typical room adds approximately half a day to one day to the installation time, depending on room size and border complexity. Contrasting species borders and double borders take longer. We include this in the timeline for every project that includes a border.
Q: Where can I find bespoke patterned hardwood flooring in the Lancashire or Greater Manchester?
A: For homeowners who want something beyond standard options, CRAFT Hardwood designs and installs fully bespoke herringbone and parquet floors across Lancashire and Greater Manchester — including custom board sizes, mixed tones, and bespoke border designs tailored to your architecture. Get in touch to discuss your project.
Thinking about a border for your floor?
Border decisions are best made in the room, with sample strips laid out so you can see both options. That's exactly what we do on site visits — we bring materials, we look at the space, and we help you make the decision with confidence rather than uncertainty.
We offer free site visits across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire.
Call: 07856 308 208 Email: contact@crafthardwood.co.uk
We serve Chorley, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, and throughout the North West.