Herringbone Parquet — Kensington Mansion Flat

Herringbone parquet was the natural choice for this elegant Kensington mansion flat. The wide, high-ceilinged rooms had the proportions to carry the pattern with real confidence — and the client's brief specifically referenced the floors of the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris as an aspirational reference.

Concrete Sub-Floor and Acoustic Requirements

Concrete sub-floors in mansion flats present two challenges: moisture and acoustic compliance. We carried out a full moisture test on arrival (CM reading: 0.6% — acceptable for glue-down with a moisture-barrier primer) and applied a dual-function primer that acts as both an adhesion promoter and a Class M acoustic membrane.

Building management had specified acoustic requirements under the lease: the installation had to achieve L'nTw 58dB. The combination of primer, high-density adhesive, and the engineered board's own backing met this comfortably, confirmed by a post-installation impact sound test.

Setting Out

Setting out a herringbone floor in a non-rectangular room — as most period rooms are — requires careful calculation of the centre line to ensure the pattern exits the room symmetrically at all four walls. We spent two hours setting out before cutting a single board.

The antique white hard-wax oil finish brought a Continental quality that perfectly complemented the client's French-influenced interior. The slightly whitened oil reveals the brushed grain texture of the oak while cooling the warmth of the natural timber.

A Sequel

The finished floor drew an immediate booking enquiry from the flat directly above. We returned six weeks later to complete their hallway and drawing room — a herringbone in the same timber, different oil colour.