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White Oak Herringbone with 7-Inch Custom Border — Buckhead High-Rise, Atlanta

A complete floor replacement on the 24th floor of a Buckhead condominium, completed in May 2025. Approximately 1,500 square feet of site-finished white oak herringbone with a 7-inch tongue-and-groove border, installed throughout the full residence over five weeks under HOA work-hour restrictions and finished with LOBA EasyPrime and two coats of LOBA 2K Duo in satin.

This Buckhead high-rise project is one of Classy Flooring ATL’s documented custom pattern installations — site-finished white oak herringbone, custom borders, and parquet work across metro Atlanta. See the full range of our work on our Our Work page.

The Client Situation

The client first contacted us to refinish the existing floor. The on-site assessment found an engineered floor that had already been site-finished twice, with no wear layer left for a third sanding cycle, so we recommended replacing it.

Once replacement was decided, the work turned to designing the new floor. Through consultations, material reviews, and full-scale mock-ups in the actual rooms, the client chose white oak herringbone with a border. The mock-ups let them judge the board length and border proportion at full scale before committing.

Project Constraints

The apartment is on the 24th floor of a Buckhead high-rise with active HOA requirements. Elevator scheduling, demolition timing, and material logistics all had to operate within the building’s rules.

The layout added another layer of complexity. A non-rectangular open-plan space has to be worked out in advance so the herringbone reads as balanced from every angle.

The apartment also houses a significant art collection, including a floor-level sculpture commissioned for this apartment that stayed in place throughout the project.

The concrete subfloor was ground to NWFA tolerance before installation began.

The Decisions That Defined the Outcome

The first decision came at the assessment, before any material was ordered: advising replacement over the refinish the client had asked for, because the engineered floor had no wear layer left to sand.

After that, subfloor preparation and border integration were the defining technical decisions. Subfloor preparation set whether the pattern would hold its geometry over time, and the tongue-and-groove border set whether the field and frame would move together as one floor.

  
LocationBuckhead high-rise condominium, 24th floor, Atlanta, GA
Project typeFull floor removal and replacement with site finish
Wood speciesSolid white oak, unfinished
Board dimensions5 inches wide × 20 inches long
PatternHerringbone
Border7-inch tongue-and-groove border throughout the full residence
Total areaApproximately 1,500 square feet
SubfloorConcrete — ground and prepared for installation
Acoustic underlaymentRoberts Natural Cork, 6mm, adhered with Wakol MS 260
Installation adhesiveWAKOL MS 260 Wood Flooring Adhesive, firm-flexible, full-spread
Finish systemLOBA EasyPrime sealer + two coats LOBA 2K Duo, satin
Sanding equipmentLägler Hummel belt sander, Super 7 edger, FG Floortec Discus planetary sander
First consultation to project startApproximately eight months
On-site duration

Five weeks

This project replaced the entire floor of a primary Buckhead residence. The existing floor was a dark-stained engineered hardwood, straight-lay, installed as a full-spread glue-down on concrete, and it had been site-finished twice. Engineered flooring carries its sandable wood in a thin wear layer over the core; NWFA’s sanding guidelines put the general limit at about 3/32 inch, and two refinishes had used this floor’s wear layer. When water damage occurred, the floor was replaced.

The timeline from first consultation to the start of on-site work was approximately eight months. Part of that period went to documentation for the insurance claim and to meetings on the replacement decision. Once replacement was confirmed, the project moved into material selection, layout planning, and scheduling.

Existing dark-stained engineered hardwood floor in a Buckhead high-rise before replacement with custom herringbone.
Before: the existing dark-stained engineered hardwood floor, looking toward the city-view windows. This straight-lay engineered floor had been refinished twice and could not take another sanding cycle.
Existing dark-stained engineered hardwood in a Buckhead high-rise hallway before removal for white oak herringbone installation.
Before: the existing dark-stained engineered hardwood running down the hallway toward the windows. The same straight-lay floor carried through the full residence.
Existing dark-stained engineered hardwood in the main living area of a Buckhead high-rise before custom herringbone installation.
Before: the main living area at the windows, with the existing dark-stained engineered hardwood. This floor had been site-finished twice and could not take another refinishing cycle, which is why full replacement was the right call.
Existing dark-stained engineered hardwood running along the kitchen cabinetry of a Buckhead high-rise before removal for white oak herringbone installation
The kitchen of the Buckhead high-rise, looking along the cabinetry run before demolition. The existing dark-stained engineered hardwood was removed down to the concrete subfloor for the white oak herringbone installation.

The homeowners selected white oak and wanted a lighter floor in a herringbone layout. The 5-inch width was set by the narrow entrance hallway, where a wider board would have read heavy and left the pattern no room to resolve. Two board lengths were then laid out at full scale in the actual rooms: 20 inches (a 4:1 ratio) and 25 inches (5:1). Against the high ceilings and the room footprints of this residence, the 5:1 read coarse and the 4:1 read balanced. The clients saw both and confirmed the 20-inch length.

The 7-inch border was Classy Flooring ATL’s proposal. A framed field is a traditional resolution for a herringbone pattern, and the border also gave a consistent edge at the base of the commissioned sculpture. It runs throughout the full residence.

White oak herringbone material laid out in the Buckhead high-rise unit during an on-site review before installation
The white oak herringbone material laid out in the actual Buckhead high-rise unit during an on-site review before installation began. The dark floor underneath is the existing engineered hardwood, later removed for the new floor.

Demolition

The existing engineered floor had been installed as a full-spread glue-down on concrete. The original adhesive had cured to an exceptionally hard bond. Standard removal equipment alone was not sufficient to extract the floor efficiently across 1,500 square feet.

The process required two stages. First, the floor was cut into small sections using a circular saw. Then a specialized floor-removal machine extracted the sectioned boards. Without pre-cutting, the adhesive bond resisted the machine and slowed progress significantly. Pre-cutting allowed sections to be lifted and separated systematically.

Demolition generated a large volume of debris, removed through the reserved service elevator before subfloor work began.

Close-up of removed dark-stained engineered hardwood showing hard adhesive residue after demolition in Buckhead condo
Close-up of removed dark-stained engineered hardwood showing hard adhesive residue after demolition in Buckhead condo
Large pile of dark-stained engineered hardwood pieces after floor removal in Buckhead high-rise condominium
Large pile of dark-stained engineered hardwood pieces after floor removal in Buckhead high-rise condominium
Demolished engineered hardwood floor debris bagged for removal after full floor replacement, Buckhead high-rise condo
Demolished engineered hardwood floor debris bagged for removal after full floor replacement, Buckhead high-rise condo

Subfloor Preparation

Once the existing floor was removed, the concrete was assessed for flatness and surface condition. NWFA classifies herringbone as a parquet pattern and holds glue-down and parquet floors over concrete to 3/16 inch in 10 feet or 1/8 inch in 6 feet. Herringbone shows a deviation sooner than straight-lay: the boards meet at an angle and the pattern runs uninterrupted, so any variation registers along the points.

After adhesive residue was removed, the concrete was measured across the full floor area. Several areas showed high points that exceeded the acceptable tolerance. These were corrected with an industrial concrete grinding machine — a dust-contained system that removed the high points mechanically.

After grinding, the concrete was within NWFA tolerance across the full surface without self-leveling compound

Industrial concrete grinding machine removing adhesive residue and high spots from the slab before herringbone installation.
The exposed concrete slab being ground to remove old adhesive residue and high spots, bringing it within NWFA's glue-down tolerance of 3/16 inch in 10 feet or 1/8 inch in 6 feet before installation.

HOA Acoustic Requirement and Cork Underlayment

Gallery Condominiums requires acoustic underlayment beneath any hard-surface flooring. The building specifies a minimum Impact Insulation Class (IIC) rating of 65 or better. IIC measures structure-borne noise — specifically footfall transmission through the floor to the unit below. This requirement is mandatory for all hardwood installations in the building.

Roberts cork sheets were installed in panel form across the full floor area to satisfy this requirement. Cork was adhered to the prepared concrete using Wakol MS 260 — a silane-modified polymer adhesive applied with a notched trowel. Seams between panels were kept tight to maintain the acoustic performance of the system.

WAKOL MS 260 Wood Flooring Adhesive, firm-flexible, is a zero-VOC modified silane polymer adhesive. On properly prepared concrete it is applied directly, without a primer, and WAKOL gives it 24 to 48 hours to cure fully, depending on the room’s climate.

Crew setting Roberts Natural Cork panels with Wakol MS 260 adhesive on the prepared concrete slab in a Buckhead high-rise.
Roberts Natural Cork panels, 6mm, set into Wakol MS 260 adhesive over the prepared slab. Gallery Condominiums requires an acoustic underlayment rated IIC 65 or better beneath any hard-surface floor, and seams were kept tight to hold that performance across the full area.
Crew setting Roberts Natural Cork panels with Wakol MS 260 adhesive on prepared concrete subfloor, Buckhead Atlanta
Crew setting Roberts Natural Cork panels with Wakol MS 260 adhesive on prepared concrete subfloor, Buckhead Atlanta
Crew adhering Roberts Natural Cork panels into Wakol MS 260 over the prepared slab in a Buckhead high-rise, near the window wall.
Cork installation in progress, working out from the window wall. Each 6mm panel is set into Wakol MS 260 with seams kept tight, so the acoustic layer stays continuous across the full floor before the herringbone goes down.

Layout Planning

The solid white oak was acclimated in the unit, and moisture readings were taken to confirm the boards had reached equilibrium with the residence before installation began. NWFA defines acclimation by the wood’s moisture content reaching equilibrium with its surroundings rather than by a set number of days.

Before any boards were glued down, the layout was established by dry-laying boards without adhesive to confirm the reference line and check the visual result across the full floor, as NWFA’s parquet installation guidelines describe.

The starting point was the entrance hallway. The herringbone was centered on the hallway’s long axis so the pattern would read symmetrically from the front door. The same principle carried into each bedroom: the main line was established along the longest axis of the room, and installation built outward from there.

The entire residence was installed in one consistent herringbone direction throughout. This continuity allows the floor to read as a single unified material across all spaces rather than a series of separate rooms.

The most technically demanding layout area was the kitchen. Its non-rectangular footprint and the offset position of the refrigerator and dishwasher meant the herringbone and the 7-inch border had to be planned so both landed correctly at every wall and fixed element.

Dry-lay center line for the white oak herringbone marked with blue tape down the Buckhead high-rise hallway.
The herringbone center line set out on the hallway's long axis, marked with blue tape. Boards are dry-laid without adhesive first to confirm the reference line and check how the pattern reads down the full length before anything is fixed in place.
White oak herringbone center line dry-laid and taped along the full hallway length in a Buckhead high-rise.
The center line carried the full length of the hallway. It was set on the hallway's long axis so the pattern reads symmetrically from the front door, and the same principle was used in each room — main line along the longest axis, building outward from there.
White oak herringbone center line set over cork in the second bedroom of a Buckhead high-rise, taped along the room's long axis.
The center line carried into the second bedroom, set along the room's longest axis over the cork. Each room started the same way — main line first, then building outward — so the herringbone runs in one continuous direction across the whole residence.

Herringbone Installation

The herringbone boards were installed with Wakol MS 260, full-spread, applied with a notched trowel. The installation sequence was the same in every section of the floor: set the main line, allow it to cure, then proceed outward.

After the center-line boards were set, blue painter’s tape was applied across joints to hold the boards in position during the initial cure. Work then paused for one full day, so the boards on the reference line could not shift when adjacent boards were pressed into place. On pattern work, the center line controls the geometry of everything that follows.

After the center line cured, installation proceeded in both directions simultaneously. Blue tape was applied across joints throughout and removed after each section cured.

Herringbone was installed throughout the full residence in a single consistent direction:

  • Main living and dining area
  • Kitchen
  • Primary hallway and connecting corridors
  • Primary bedroom
  • Second bedroom
  • Office
  • All transition zones between rooms
White oak herringbone center line dry-laid in the primary bedroom of a Buckhead high-rise, taped along the room's long axis.
The center line set in the primary bedroom along its longest axis. Once the line cured, installation built outward from it in both directions — the line controls the geometry of everything that follows, which is why it's set and allowed to hold before the rest of the room is laid.
White oak herringbone installation in progress in a Buckhead high-rise, boards set with staged material along the window wall.
Installation in progress after the center line cured. Boards were set in full-spread Wakol MS 260 and expanded outward in both directions, with blue tape holding each section during the adhesive's initial cure.
White oak herringbone installation in progress in a Buckhead high-rise room, boards expanding outward with staged material and blue tape.
Installation continuing through the rooms — boards set in full-spread Wakol MS 260 and worked outward from each room's center line, with blue tape holding sections during the initial cure and removed once each section set.
White oak herringbone installation in progress in the office of a Buckhead high-rise, boards expanding outward with blue tape.
Installation reaching the office, where the herringbone continues in the same direction as the rest of the residence. Boards were set in full-spread Wakol MS 260, worked outward from the center line, and held with blue tape during the initial cure.

Tongue-and-Groove Construction

The 7-inch border was built with tongue-and-groove joinery throughout, adding a mechanical lock to the adhesive bond.

A border attached only with adhesive relies entirely on the glue to hold the joint between the field and the perimeter over time. As wood expands and contracts seasonally, that stress concentrates at the glue line. Tongue-and-groove joinery adds a mechanical lock: the tongue of the border piece fits into the groove of the adjacent field board, creating a connection that resists movement in both directions. The border remains integrated with the field floor not only when freshly installed but over years of normal use.

The Milwaukee router was used to cut the tongue-and-groove profile into the border pieces, ensuring a consistent, tight fit throughout.

Corner Work

Every corner where two border pieces meet was cut at 45 degrees. This miter produces a joint that reads as seamless — the grain direction shifts at the corner in a way that looks intentional rather than structural. Every corner in this project was mitered. In person, the border reads as a continuous frame around each room rather than assembled pieces.

The border was installed in every room of the residence — main living area, kitchen, bedrooms, office, and all connecting corridors.

White oak tongue-and-groove border meeting the herringbone field in a Buckhead high-rise, mitered corner detail.
The 7-inch border built with tongue-and-groove joinery, not adhesive alone. The tongue of the border locks into the groove of the field board, so the connection resists seasonal movement in both directions and stays integrated over time. Corners were mitered at 45 degrees throughout.
White oak 7-inch border running along the kitchen cabinetry base in a Buckhead high-rise, fitted to the herringbone field.
The 7-inch border carried around the kitchen, fitted where the herringbone meets the cabinetry. The kitchen's non-rectangular footprint and offset appliances meant the pattern and border had to be planned so both landed correctly at every wall and fixed element.
White oak herringbone and 7-inch border at the entrance of a Buckhead high-rise, fitted to the doorway.
The herringbone and 7-inch border at the entrance, where the pattern reads from the front door inward. The border frames the field as a continuous perimeter rather than a separate element added around the edge.

Custom Fitting Around Fixed Elements

A large floor-level sculpture, commissioned from a sculptor for this apartment, could not be moved because of its size and fragility. The existing floor was removed around it in small controlled sections, and the new herringbone and border were fitted at the base of the piece so the finished result reads as part of the continuous floor. The border at that location matches the border anywhere else in the room.

The floor-to-ceiling mirrors stayed wrapped through demolition and border installation, and work along them was done at a measured pace.

Large artwork wrapped in protective plastic with the white oak herringbone and 7-inch border fitted around its base, Buckhead high-rise.
A large piece of art that could not be moved because of its size and fragility. The existing floor was removed around it in small, controlled sections, and the new herringbone and border were fitted at its base — so the border there is indistinguishable from the border anywhere else in the room.

Custom Transitions

Every doorway in the residence received a custom wood threshold, built on site. Each one is tongue-and-groove connected at the field edge, so the mechanical joint carries the seasonal movement between the threshold and the herringbone field.

At the primary bedroom doorway the threshold is patterned, built from small boards set in varying grain directions. Grain direction governs how a wood surface returns light: boards running the same way read as one continuous plane, while a board turned against its neighbor catches the light differently. Setting small pieces in alternating directions gives each one its own tone as you move past it, so the threshold registers as a deliberate detail where the herringbone meets the doorway. The satin LOBA finish carries that variation across the piece.

Custom white oak threshold at a bathroom doorway in a Buckhead high-rise, where the herringbone field meets the tile, tongue-and-groove connected at the field edge — Classy Flooring ATL
A custom white oak threshold at the doorway where the herringbone field meets the tile, tongue-and-groove connected at the field edge so the joint holds with the floor.
Close-up of white oak border and custom transition joinery meeting the herringbone field at a threshold, Buckhead high-rise.
The patterned threshold where the herringbone field meets the opening, built from boards run across the doorway against the 45-degree grain of the field on either side. The change in grain direction is what makes the threshold read as its own element, tongue-and-groove connected at the field edge so the mechanical joint carries the movement between the two.
White oak custom transition where the herringbone field meets the border at a room threshold, Buckhead high-rise.
The herringbone field meeting the custom transition and border at a threshold, tongue-and-groove connected at the field edge so the junction stays integrated with the floor.
White oak custom transition between rooms in a Buckhead high-rise, herringbone meeting the border at the threshold.
A threshold between rooms, the herringbone field tongue-and-groove connected to the border at the opening so the mechanical joint carries the movement across the junction.

Sanding and Finishing

Sanding: Belt Sander, Edger, and Planetary Refining

The floor was sanded using the full sequence: a Lägler Hummel belt sander and a Super 7 edger for the cutting and leveling passes at grits 40, 60, and 80, followed by an FG Floortec Discus planetary sander for the refining passes at grits 100 and 120.

The belt sander and edger remove stock and flatten the field and perimeter. The planetary sander makes the final passes. Its discs rotate in multiple directions at once, so the cut is not aligned to any single board direction. On a herringbone floor, where boards run two ways, the scratch left by the final grit is what shows through the finish — so making those last passes with a multi-directional planetary keeps the surface even across both directions of the pattern. Field and edge were carried through the same grits so the open floor and perimeter read consistently before any finish was applied. The full progression followed NWFA standards.

FG Floortec Discus planetary sander on the white oak herringbone floor in a Buckhead high-rise.
The FG Floortec Discus planetary sander making the refining passes at grits 100 and 120. Its discs rotate in multiple directions, so the final cut isn't aligned to any single board direction — which is what keeps the surface even across both directions of the herringbone before finish.

Finish System: LOBA EasyPrime + LOBA 2K Duo, Satin

After sanding, one coat of LOBA EasyPrime was applied across the full floor. EasyPrime is a polyurethane-acrylate water-based sealer that LOBA formulates to leave no lap marks and to reduce side bonding and the white-line effect in water-based finish systems. Side bonding is the finish locking neighboring boards together at irregular joints. On a herringbone floor, where short pieces meet at alternating angles across the whole field, the sealer is the first of the measures LOBA lists against it. The firm-elastic adhesive is another.

After the sealer dried, two coats of LOBA 2K Duo in satin were applied at LOBA’s 2–3 hour recoat interval. 2K Duo is a two-component water-based polyurethane, base and hardener mixed on site at LOBA’s 10:1 ratio, that LOBA rates for extremely heavy wear, with excellent chemical and abrasion resistance, and non-yellowing. It was applied by roller across the full floor, edges and border included. LOBA rates full cure at 5 days, and rugs and floor coverings wait until then.

WAKOL MS 260 and LOBA 2K Duo are both part of LOBA-WAKOL’s Connected Systems, which pairs Wakol adhesives with LOBA finishes so no dark discoloration from a reaction between finish and adhesive forms at the joints.

Claudiu Toma completed the LOBA WAKOL Connected Systems course.

Coat 1LOBA EasyPrime sealer
Coat 2LOBA 2K Duo, satin
Coat 3LOBA 2K Duo, satin
Product typeTwo-component waterborne polyurethane
ApplicationRoller, across the full floor
Intercoat interval2–3 hours (LOBA)
Full cure5 days (LOBA)
VOCBelow 130 g/L (LOBA); adequate ventilation in every phase
Dust-contained sanding of the white oak herringbone floor in a Buckhead high-rise, with artwork wrapped and protected nearby.
The sanding phase performed with a dust-contained system, with the artwork and furnishings that stayed in the residence wrapped and protected throughout. Containing dust at this stage mattered with valuable pieces remaining in the unit.
White oak herringbone floor during dust-contained sanding in a Buckhead high-rise.
The herringbone field during sanding. The floor was carried through the full grit sequence — the belt sander and edger at the coarse grits, then the FG Floortec Discus planetary at 100 and 120 — so the surface reads evenly across both directions of the pattern.
Second coat of LOBA 2K Duo being applied to the white oak herringbone floor in a Buckhead high-rise.
The second coat of LOBA 2K Duo being applied over the sealed floor by roller, per LOBA's data sheet.

HOA Logistics and Site Management

On-site work was restricted to 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on business days. The building’s service elevator had to be reserved in advance for material deliveries and debris removal each day. Work required coordination with other trades active in the building during the same period.

Operating within those restrictions across a five-week schedule — covering demolition, grinding, cork installation, full herringbone installation, border work, and multi-coat finishing — required precise daily planning.

The clients relocated to another unit in the same building during the project and were present almost every day to follow the progress.

Site Protection and Final Cleaning

Furniture that could be moved was removed before work began. Items that could not be moved — large mirrors, the floor-level artwork, and several oversized furniture pieces — were wrapped in heavy plastic sheeting secured with blue tape throughout the project. The sheeting protected surfaces from dust and debris without marking wall paint or mirror frames.

Demolition is the dustiest stage of removing a full-spread glue-down floor at this scale, so every fixed item was wrapped before it began. The sanding phase was performed with a dust-contained system.

Before the clients moved back in, Classy Flooring ATL arranged a professional deep cleaning of the full residence at no charge. The home was returned in clean, move-in condition.

Result

The project was completed in five weeks. The clients had expressed concerns at the outset about the disruption to their home and the handling of the art and mirrors that remained in place. After returning, they said the outcome was worth the difficulty of the preparation period and that Claudiu had made the process as manageable as possible.

The relationship continued after the project was complete. The clients referred Classy Flooring ATL to other residents in their building and to friends.

Client Review from This Project

Source: Google Business Profile review

“We had a fantastic experience with Claudiu and Classy Flooring. We live in a Buckhead high-rise condo, and they handled the project seamlessly, including all building and elevator requirements.

The craftsmanship is outstanding. We installed a white oak herringbone floor with a 7-inch tongue-and-groove border, finished on site, and the results are beautiful—truly high-end work with great attention to detail.

Claudio was professional, calm, and a pleasure to work with from start to finish. I would highly recommend Classy Flooring to anyone looking for exceptional quality and a smooth experience.”

Arthur Simon

Buckhead

White oak herringbone floor with custom border — Buckhead high-rise condo, Atlanta
Custom white oak herringbone installation with integrated border for a Buckhead high-rise residence.
Finished white oak herringbone floor with a 7-inch tongue-and-groove border in the open living and kitchen area of a Buckhead high-rise, site-finished
The finished white oak herringbone in the open living and kitchen area of the Buckhead high-rise. The 5-inch boards were installed in a herringbone field framed by a 7-inch tongue-and-groove border and finished on site with the LOBA system.
Finished white oak herringbone floor with a 7-inch tongue-and-groove border in the dining area of a Buckhead high-rise, site-finished
The finished white oak herringbone in the dining area of the Buckhead high-rise. The 5-inch boards run in a herringbone field framed by a 7-inch tongue-and-groove border, finished on site with the LOBA system.
Finished white oak herringbone floor running through the kitchen of a Buckhead high-rise, Atlanta.
The finished kitchen, where the herringbone and 7-inch border had to land correctly against the cabinetry, island, and offset appliances in a non-rectangular footprint. The floor runs in the same continuous direction as the rest of the residence.
Finished white oak herringbone floor with 7-inch custom border in the dining area of a Buckhead high-rise, Atlanta.
The finished dining area — site-finished white oak herringbone with the 7-inch border running as a continuous frame around the room. The satin LOBA finish reads evenly across both directions of the pattern.
Finished white oak herringbone floor running continuously through the open kitchen and living area of a Buckhead high-rise, Atlanta.
The herringbone running in one continuous direction across the open kitchen and living area, so the connected spaces read as a single unified floor rather than separate rooms. The 7-inch border frames the perimeter throughout.

Photography: Zachary Toth

Complete Technical Reference

Demolition

  • Existing floor: dark-stained engineered hardwood, straight-lay, full-spread glue-down on concrete — full removal
  • Adhesive bond: exceptionally hard — required pre-cutting boards with circular saw before machine extraction
  • Equipment: circular saw + specialized floor removal machine
  • Result: full concrete subfloor exposed, adhesive residue requiring grinding

Subfloor Preparation

  • Adhesive residue removal and high-spot correction: industrial concrete grinding machine
  • Flatness standard: NWFA glue-down and parquet — 3/16 inch in 10 feet or 1/8 inch in 6 feet
  • Outcome: within tolerance across the full surface without self-leveling compound

Acoustic Underlayment

  • HOA requirement: IIC 65 or better (Gallery Condominiums)
  • Material: Roberts Natural Cork, 6mm, panel format
  • Adhesive: WAKOL MS 260, notch-troweled onto concrete
  • Coverage: full floor area prior to wood installation

Herringbone Installation

  • Wood: solid white oak, unfinished, 5 × 20 inches, 4:1 proportion
  • Acclimation: in the unit; moisture readings confirmed equilibrium before installation
  • Direction: single consistent direction throughout all rooms
  • Adhesive: WAKOL MS 260, full-spread
  • Sequence: center line left to cure one full day before expanding outward
  • Tape: blue painter’s tape across joints during adhesive cure
  • Coverage: living area, dining area, kitchen, hallways, primary bedroom, second bedroom, office, all transitions

Border

  • Width: 7 inches
  • Coverage: all rooms throughout the full residence
  • Joinery: tongue-and-groove — mechanical connection between border and field
  • Corners: 45-degree miter throughout
  • Tool: Milwaukee router for tongue-and-groove profile
  • Special conditions: fitted at the base of the floor-level sculpture and along the floor-to-ceiling mirrors

Thresholds

  • Type: custom white oak, built on site
  • Locations: every doorway in the residence
  • Connection: tongue-and-groove at field edge
  • Primary bedroom: patterned, small boards in varying grain directions

Sanding

  • Field cutting and leveling: Lägler Hummel belt sander — grits 40 / 60 / 80
  • Perimeter and tight areas: Super 7 edger — grits 40 / 60 / 80
  • Refining and flattening: FG Floortec Discus planetary sander — grits 100 / 120
  • Standard: NWFA parquet sanding guidelines (herringbone is a parquet pattern)

Finishing

  • Coat 1: LOBA EasyPrime sealer
  • Coat 2: LOBA 2K Duo, satin
  • Coat 3: LOBA 2K Duo, satin
  • Application: roller across the full floor, edges and border included
  • Recoat: 2–3 hours (LOBA)
  • Full cure: 5 days (LOBA)
  • System: LOBA-WAKOL Connected Systems with WAKOL MS 260

Site Protection

  • Fixed items: wrapped in heavy plastic sheeting and blue tape throughout
  • Floor-to-ceiling mirrors: protected during demolition and border installation
  • Floor-level artwork: floor removed and installed around it in place
  • Final deep cleaning: professional, provided at no charge before the clients moved back in

HOA and Building Logistics

  • Work hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, business days only
  • Elevator: reserved in advance for each delivery and debris removal day
  • On-site duration: five weeks

Related Work

European White Oak Herringbone with Brass Inlay — Woodstock Estate — another custom herringbone installation with a mechanically-locked custom border, where the same routed tongue-and-groove border approach also frames a solid brass inlay across a two-house family estate.

For the 4-inch solid white oak installation on the 21st floor of this same building, completed on a referral from these clients, see our 4-Inch Solid White Oak Installation and Site Finishing — Buckhead High-Rise, Atlanta project page.

For a large-scale engineered installation with a factory-made herringbone and custom border across two Savannah, GA penthouse residences, see our European Ash Herringbone Installation — Savannah, GA Penthouse Residences project page.

For a custom herringbone installation with a tongue-and-groove border in a Monroe, GA residence, see our Monroe Herringbone Installation project page.

For an engineered hardwood floor in another Atlanta high-rise condominium — with HOA acoustic underlayment requirements and freight-elevator logistics — see our Engineered Hardwood Replacement at The Atlantic, Atlantic Station project page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are herringbone floors hard to install?

Herringbone is one of the more demanding layouts to install, for three physical reasons. Every piece meets its neighbors at an angle, so the pattern depends on a reference line set from the room’s center, and a small error in that line carries through every course built off it. The subfloor has to be flat: NWFA holds glue-down and parquet floors, herringbone included, to 3/16 inch in 10 feet or 1/8 inch in 6 feet, because angled joints register any dip or high spot along the points. And the field ends in angled cuts at every wall and doorway. On this Buckhead project the slab was ground to that tolerance, and each room’s center line was dry-laid, glued, and left to cure for 24 hours before the field was built outward.

How should herringbone flooring be laid?

From the center of the room outward, rather than from a wall. NWFA’s parquet guidelines, which cover herringbone, set the pattern on working lines snapped through the room, confirm the balance with a dry lay before any adhesive is spread, and keep adhesive off the working lines so they stay visible. On a glue-down floor, the boards along the reference line are set first and allowed to hold before the rest of the field is pressed against them. On this project the center line ran along the entrance hallway’s long axis so the pattern reads symmetrically from the front door. Each room started from a main line on its longest axis, the reference boards were set in full-spread WAKOL MS 260 and left to cure for 24 hours, and installation then built outward in both directions, with tape holding the joints during the cure.

What is the disadvantage of herringbone flooring?

Herringbone takes more of everything than a straight-lay floor. It takes more cutting, because every piece is set at an angle and the field ends in angled cuts at each wall, and more material, because those cuts produce offcuts. It needs a flatter subfloor, because angled joints show variation that is less visible in a straight run, and it takes more installation time. A site-finished herringbone floor also has its grain running in two directions, so the final sanding passes need a multi-directional machine to leave an even scratch pattern under the finish. On this project those demands were planned into the schedule: the slab was ground to NWFA’s glue-down tolerance, and the final passes at 100 and 120 grit were made with an FG Floortec Discus planetary sander.

Does herringbone flooring look better with a border?

A border frames the field so the pattern ends on a straight line at the room’s edges, and it gives a clean edge where the floor meets cabinetry, thresholds, or a fixed object. NWFA’s ornamental guidelines take up out-of-square walls in the space outside the border, so the framed field itself stays square. Whether a border suits a room depends on the space: in an open plan it can define each area, and in a small room the field alone can carry the pattern. On this project the 7-inch border was Classy Flooring ATL’s proposal. A framed field is a traditional resolution for herringbone, and the border also gave a consistent edge at the base of a floor-level sculpture that stayed in place. It runs through every room, with 45-degree mitered corners.

How to lay herringbone flooring with a border?

The field is installed first and the border last. NWFA’s ornamental guidelines describe installing the herringbone past the planned border line, then resquaring and cutting the field back to that line against a straightedge, routing a groove into the cut edge, and fitting the border to it, with the border dry-laid from the corners first. The joint between field and border is what holds the frame over time: a tongue-and-groove connection adds a mechanical lock to the adhesive, so the field and border move together through seasonal changes. On this project the tongue-and-groove profile was cut into the 7-inch border pieces with a Milwaukee router, every corner was mitered at 45 degrees, and the same tongue-and-groove connection was carried into custom thresholds at every doorway.

Does it matter which way you lay herringbone flooring?

Yes. The direction of the points sets how the room reads. NWFA leaves the direction to the client’s preference and notes that the points often run toward the longest dimension of the space or toward a focal point. In a home with connected rooms, running the pattern in one direction throughout lets the floor read as a single surface. On this project the herringbone was centered on the entrance hallway’s long axis so it reads symmetrically from the front door, each room’s main line ran along its longest axis, and the whole residence was installed in one direction.

How long does it take to lay a herringbone floor?

It depends on the area, the subfloor work, and whether the floor is finished on site. Herringbone adds time at several stages of the installation: layout and a dry lay in each room, a cure on each reference line before the field is built out, angled cuts at every wall, and border work. On this project, approximately 1,500 square feet took five weeks on site under HOA work hours of 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on business days. That covered demolition of the old glue-down floor, slab grinding, cork underlayment, the herringbone and 7-inch border, sanding, and LOBA EasyPrime plus two coats of LOBA 2K Duo. LOBA rates the finish at full cure five days after the last coat.

Considering a Custom Pattern Installation in Atlanta?

Classy Flooring ATL specializes in herringbone, chevron, and border installations for premium residential projects across the Atlanta metro area. Every project begins with a site evaluation and a clear conversation about what the floor will require and what the finished result will look like.

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For how pattern floors like this one are sanded and finished, see What Is Versailles Parquet Flooring? and What Is a Floor Medallion?