Installing even a simple chevron pattern in a single room involves precision and planning, but when Paul Wilke of Masterpiece Floors in Corona, California, was asked to tie multiple chevron patterned rooms together at a single location in the home, the difficulty level was raised exponentially.
“The project was for a repeat customer who wanted a chevron pattern to run throughout his home,” explains Wilke. “He previously had purchased the French white oak flooring, and our job was to do the install, sand, and finish on the project. The challenge was that he wanted a sunken 300-square-foot area of his home to act as a focal point for the entire installation.”
This area previously had served as an exterior sunroom, and since had been converted into an interior living space, with three different rooms of the home entering into it. The homeowner hoped the floor in this area could tie the floors in three of those rooms together.
“When we arrived, we saw three doorways stepping down into the sunroom, each of which had small stand-alone steps that were the width of each door. Our first objective was to build out one continuous platform to replace those steps, that connected each one of the rooms, at the same level as the main house,” explains Wilke. “Once we got that new platform installed, we could then address the homeowner’s request to lay out the chevron pattern to flow seamlessly throughout the home.”
The homeowner explained to Wilke that he wanted to run the chevron pattern in multiple directions throughout the home, with 90-degree changes from one chevron pattern to the next.
“To allow for a more gradual and visually pleasing change of direction, we suggested running the floor in the sunken room at a 45-degree angle,” says Wilke. “We also suggested having the chevron pattern flow up the newly created step-down feature. The homeowner agreed with both suggestions, and we began to lay out the flooring.”
Wilke says he began the installation by carefully centering up each room both front to back and right to left, then starting a spine down the center of each room, working out toward the perimeter from each side.
“We needed to be centered parallel with the outside walls in both directions so that we had equal size pieces on both sides of the room. However, we also had to lay the room diagonally off of our 45-degree directional control lines,” explains Wilke. “To do that from the centerline, in a 10-foot room, I measured out four feet from the centerline on both sides and ended up with an eight-foot box in the center of the room. I then struck diagonal lines across the eight-foot box. This gave control lines going from corner to corner, and center, from front to back.”
Wilke says precision is critical when working with a chevron pattern. For example, if you’re not setting the pieces at a perfect 90-degree angle to the piece next to it, your lines and miters will get out of square, and the next row’s points will not line up.
“I install one piece at a time, and I keep a framing square with me. Every four or five pieces, I check to ensure everything is at a 90-degree angle, and then I am also referencing my diagonal control lines to make sure I’m at 45 degrees,” says Wilke.
“I also use the straight control lines to ensure it is stopping at the right point in the opposite direction.”
Wilke says he also uses a method to ensure the chevron pattern does not go off track
as he installs it.
“I work up to the walls, and I’ll cut the last pieces of the pattern, but I won’t put all the small pieces in until the end,” explains Wilke. “I’ve found when you put the small pieces in and you try to wedge them in straight, they tend to push your row out so that you are no longer in a straight line.”
Wilke says he used Bostik Green Force Adhesive and a Powernail stapler to affix the flooring. The floor then was finished using a Bona Multi-Disc sander on a buffer.
“To complete the floor, we then stained it with a mix of DuraSeal Country White and Half Neutral. This is because the owner wanted the floor to look as natural as possible, with just a little bit of white to it. It then was finished with three coats of Bona Traffic Natural, extra matte,” says Wilke. “The result was something the homeowner was ecstatic about. I think the project turned out well, and is a testament to pre-planning and paying attention to details during installation.”