Special
Producers of Hungarian Point and herringbone in LVT, PVC, and vinyl
DESIGN FLOORS GO CLASSIC OLD FITTING PATTERNS ARE ENJOYING YET ANOTHER RENAISSANCE
Apart from the ‘ design’ whereh manufacturers actually have no limitations, design floors (LVT, PVC, and linoleum) still retain the huge asset of limited thickness, so they are ideal for renovation projects. Whilst the initial wood imitation steps of these floors comprised mainly planks or strips, and mainly in an oak design, that soon extended to other sorts and colours. The look was there, and the feel soon followed with wood grains in relief. Today, the old fitting patterns are emerging here as well.
Popular classics The two most popular classics in the parquet industry are still herringbone and Hungarian point. It’s no surprise that these two sometimes get mixed up since the ‘first impression’ is certainly similar. The difference is subtle and refined, but it is there. Let’s just remind ourselves.
Herringbone The name itself describes the laying method for herringbone; the floor is made using roughly the same boards as for ordinary strip parquet, but they are laid in the shape of a herringbone. This means that the head side is fitted square to the length of the floorboard next to it at an angle of 90°. The herringbone comes completely into its own when it is framed with a border and some locking friezes (strips which are fitted square to the direction of the parquet). In the past, an exotic wood sort was often used for the border to give the floor an attractive
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frame. Quite commonly the border is designed in wenge due to the dark contrast.
Hungarian point With Hungarian point, the heads of the strips are sawn at an angle of 45 or 60°. After the fitting with the heads interconnected, two strips together form an angle of 90° (sawn at 45°) or a less sharp angle of 120° (sawn at 60°). Sometimes, an ‘interim frieze’ is fitted between the rows. In the 17th century, it was often necessary to put a double beam under the rows to support the joints. In those days, the parquet was nailed securely in place using wrought iron nails.
Design floors are jumping on board With the renaissance of vinyl, PVC, and linoleum and the emergence of LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) and LVP (luxury vinyl planks), parquet floor fitters see a golden opportunity to extend their ranges even more. The end goal is simply to put together an assortment to provide an answer to every imaginable request and combination of requests. There is no doubt that the extension towards flexible floors is a good thing. Let’s just summarise them briefly.
Vinyl A vinyl floor is an elastic synthetic floor (PVC) with several layers: the base or back, a protective fibre layer, the design, and the top layer. The durability of vinyl depends on the top layer thickness and the solidarity
