I'm planning an herringbone parquet in the reception rooms or our Victorian terrace; it's something I've done before so have no problem with the process. However, the layout is causing me problems.
The house (and therefore the room) tapers because the terrace is on a crescent. So, standing in the front bay, the wall to the right is nice and square but the wall to the left runs in at a slight angle. As this is the wall with the fireplace (focal point), I want to avoid the parquet looking misaligned along the front of the hearth.
Make sense so far?
OK, so I've been thinking through my options…
If I were to plough on regardless, I think I’d get a tapered hearth made, but I wanted to put the question out there. This can’t be a particularly unusual installation but searching throws up nothing of interest, is there a standard approach that I've overlooked?
Thanks for reading, and does anyone have any opinions they’d like to share?
Joe
The house (and therefore the room) tapers because the terrace is on a crescent. So, standing in the front bay, the wall to the right is nice and square but the wall to the left runs in at a slight angle. As this is the wall with the fireplace (focal point), I want to avoid the parquet looking misaligned along the front of the hearth.
Make sense so far?
OK, so I've been thinking through my options…
- Centre the blocks as normal and put up with the way it meets the hearth.
No.
Align the pattern with the hearth and have all the other walls out of line.
No.
Lay the blocks in straight courses across the room.
Maybe, but the wife wants herringbone.
Absorb the taper in the border.
A course of blocks would taper to almost nothing, so this is probably a No.
‘Bend’ the pattern.
I guess this is possible but would involve shaping the individual blocks – way beyond my expertise and, erm, pocket depth.
Taper the hearth so that the front edge is parallel to the opposite wall.
I quite like this idea. The hearth would have to be 60mm deeper on one side – noticeable, but it's a deep hearth so no too bad.
If I were to plough on regardless, I think I’d get a tapered hearth made, but I wanted to put the question out there. This can’t be a particularly unusual installation but searching throws up nothing of interest, is there a standard approach that I've overlooked?
Thanks for reading, and does anyone have any opinions they’d like to share?
Joe
