Buying Guides
Alva Herringbone Flooring Guide
Alva Herringbone Flooring: The Complete Guide to Designs, Specs and Installation
Herringbone flooring has quietly become one of the most-requested patterns in UK homes — Google search interest in “herringbone LVT flooring” jumped by around 900% in the last year alone — and Alva has become one of the go-to brands for buyers who want that look without premium-brand prices. In this guide we cover the full Alva herringbone range, the two very different constructions it comes in, how it compares with other herringbone LVT on the UK market, and the practical detail you need before you order.
We sell and fit Alva daily at Grosvenor Flooring and stock every one of the brand’s oak and stone designs, so this is the working view from an approved Alva retailer rather than a PR summary. If you just want to see the range directly, head straight to the Alva LVT category page. If you want the detail — read on.
What is Alva herringbone flooring?
Herringbone is a laying pattern, not a product. The short planks are laid in an interlocking zig-zag — each plank sits at 90° to its neighbour — to create the distinctive chevron-like appearance that has been used in parquet flooring for centuries. Alva’s contribution to the modern version of this pattern is to make it affordable: instead of individually fitting solid oak blocks, Alva supplies pre-finished LVT or SPC planks in the exact small format herringbone needs, in a realistic wood-effect finish, at a price point well below traditional parquet.
Alva herringbone planks are sized at 613mm x 138mm and come with micro-bevelled edges that enhance the visual definition of each piece. The range is available in the same oak and wood designs as the standard Alva plank range, so you can use a herringbone format in your hallway and match it to a large-format plank of the same design in the adjoining open-plan kitchen — something that’s practically impossible to do with traditional solid parquet.
The full Alva herringbone design range
Alva’s herringbone range covers warm oaks, cool greys, rustic dark tones and a handful of genuinely on-trend contemporary designs. The design library carries across both the glue-down LVT and the click SPC construction, so you can pick a colour first and choose the installation method second.
Warm and natural oaks — Natural Oak, French Oak, English Oak, Elm Oak, Harvest Oak, Barley Oak, Hazelnut Brown and Ash Brown are the honey-to-mid-brown options. These are the safest specification for open-plan spaces and period properties, where a warm, timeless wood tone avoids dating the room.
Greys and cool tones — French Grey, Havana Grey Oak, Hickory Grey Oak and Pewter Light Oak cover the cool end of the range. Popular with buyers matching newer kitchen units or a Scandi-leaning interior.
Dark and rustic designs — Antigua Charcoal Oak, Cherokee Oak, Yosemite Dark Oak and Walnut Oak are the statement-dark options. They work well in larger rooms with good natural light and look striking in hallways.
Contemporary and rustic specials — Royal Oak, Victoria Oak, Nebraska Wild Oak, Millennium Oak, Artic Oak and Antique Oak each have slightly more character — more visible grain, more knot detail or slightly non-standard tones. These are the designs to order samples of if you want something that looks less “LVT default” and more “designer specification”.
A full design-by-design walkthrough with photography sits in our companion Alva LVT colours and designs guide. Order samples from the product pages before you commit — images flatten texture and distort colour, and herringbone looks different again from the same design in plank format.
Alva herringbone: glue-down LVT vs click SPC
Every Alva herringbone design is available in two constructions, and the right one depends on your subfloor, your timeline and whether you want the job done by a fitter or by yourself. This is the single most important specification decision you’ll make on an Alva floor, so we cover it in depth in our Alva LVT vs click SPC buying guide. The shorter version is below.
| Spec | Alva glue-down LVT herringbone | Alva click SPC herringbone |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 2.5mm | 5.2mm |
| Wear layer | 0.55mm | 0.3mm |
| Plank size | 613mm x 138mm | 630mm x 126mm |
| Installation | Bonded to subfloor with adhesive | Click-lock with integrated acoustic backing — no adhesive |
| Subfloor required | Perfectly flat and dry | Tolerates minor subfloor imperfections |
| Underlay | None — direct to subfloor | Integrated acoustic backing |
| Warranty | 25 years residential / 15 commercial | 25 years residential / 15 commercial |
| Best for | New-build, larger open-plan rooms, wet areas, long-term installs | Renovations, rentals, DIY fits, uneven subfloors, quick turnaround |
If you’re fitting a permanent floor in your own home and subfloor prep isn’t a problem, choose glue-down LVT — the thicker wear layer is a genuine specification benefit and the bond to the subfloor gives the quietest, most premium feel underfoot. If you’re doing a renovation over an older subfloor, fitting out a rental property, or installing yourself without specialist tools, choose click SPC — the rigid core tolerates minor subfloor irregularities and the click system removes the adhesive step entirely.
Installing Alva herringbone: what to know before you fit
Herringbone fitting is not the same as straight-plank fitting. The interlocking pattern is less forgiving of errors — a 1mm rotation on plank one compounds across the whole floor — and the pattern demands careful planning around room dimensions, doorways and focal points before the first plank goes down. We won’t pretend it’s a weekend DIY job: even experienced fitters slow down for herringbone.
A few practical notes that tend not to appear in generic fitting guides:
Order 15% extra material, not 10%. Herringbone generates more offcuts than straight-lay because the pattern requires more cuts at walls and around fixtures. 15% waste allowance is the right starting point — we’d rather a customer have an extra pack for repairs than run out three-quarters through the fit.
Plan the focal line before you start. The eye reads a herringbone floor along its long axis. That axis should line up with the room’s most-used sight-line — typically the route from the main entrance to the focal point (bay window, kitchen island, fireplace). Getting this wrong is the single most common fitting mistake on herringbone and it’s very hard to correct after the fact.
Glue-down specifies a specific adhesive. Alva glue-down LVT requires a compatible pressure-sensitive adhesive — not every LVT adhesive qualifies. If you’re fitting yourself, ask us for the recommended adhesive before you order, or factor in professional fitting; using the wrong adhesive can void the warranty. Our LVT installation guide covers the subfloor-prep detail.
Click SPC herringbone is faster but not foolproof. Click systems are more forgiving but the herringbone pattern still demands care. Read the starting-line guidance carefully and mock out the first three rows dry before locking anything together.
For the full fitting methodology — including subfloor preparation, expansion gaps and trim detailing — our general herringbone flooring guide covers the pattern at principle level. Apply that to the specifics above and you’re in good shape.
How Alva herringbone compares with other brands
Alva sits in the value-to-mid tier of UK herringbone LVT. Here’s the honest positioning against the brands we’re most often asked about:
vs Amtico herringbone. Amtico’s herringbone ranges — Signature and Form especially — sit well above Alva on specification (thicker wear layer, longer warranty, wider design library) and well above on price. For a project where specification matters and budget allows, Amtico is the stronger choice. For a project where you want the look at a realistic price, Alva lands closer to “good enough” than most buyers expect. Our Amtico herringbone laying patterns guide covers the detail on Amtico’s herringbone options if you want to compare.
vs Karndean herringbone. Karndean’s herringbone is available across Art Select and Van Gogh ranges, with specification similar to Amtico’s premium tier. Same principle: higher specification and price than Alva, deeper design library, longer warranty. See our Karndean herringbone overview for direct comparison, or our dedicated Karndean alternative piece for where Alva lines up against Karndean’s full range.
vs Nordikka herringbone (Bodo). Nordikka’s Bodo range is the closest direct competitor to Alva on both specification and price. Nordikka leans into Scandinavian-aesthetic designs; Alva’s palette is broader across warm oaks and greys. If the Scandi look is what you’re after, Nordikka Bodo fits. Otherwise Alva’s wider design library gives you more to choose from. We cover both in our Nordikka herringbone guide.
vs Textures herringbone. Textures offers pattern-led LVT in the same mid-market price band as Alva. The design range is smaller but the herringbone and chevron SKUs are genuinely well-executed. Cross-shop both if you’re deciding.
The overall view: Alva herringbone is the right choice when you want the widest oak-focused design range in the mid-market price band, with both glue-down and click installation options from the same design library. It’s not the top specification on the UK market — but it’s among the most sensibly priced.
Seeing Alva herringbone in person
Small samples tell you about colour and grain. They do not tell you how a herringbone floor reads across a full room — the scale changes the visual completely. If you’re local to the North West, visit our Altrincham showroom to see Alva herringbone alongside Amtico, Karndean, Nordikka and Textures herringbone displays. The showroom is open 24/7 with smart-lock access — no appointment needed, no sales-floor pressure.
For customers further afield, order up to five free samples from the product pages, put them down in the actual room where the floor will go, and view them in both daylight and evening light before you commit. This matters more on herringbone than on straight plank — the pattern amplifies subtle colour differences.
We’ve covered the local picture in detail in our where to buy Alva flooring in Altrincham guide if you want to plan a visit.
Ordering and next steps
Alva herringbone is sold on the individual product pages — click the Request a Sample button on any design to receive a physical sample, or browse the full range from the Alva LVT category. Every order ships with free UK delivery and the minimum order is six packs per design (around 8.28m² for herringbone parquet).
If you’d like a second opinion before you commit — a room-by-room specification check, an opinion on warm-versus-cool for your space, or comparison against a specific Amtico or Karndean range — get in touch via our contact form, WhatsApp or phone. We’ll advise based on the project, not the margin. If you’re still weighing Alva against other options, our Alva LVT review is the next useful read, followed by the Amtico alternative and Karndean alternative comparisons if a named premium brand is on your shortlist.
