Chevron and Herringbone in One Apartment: Cloud 9, Al Sufouh
Urban Flooring fitted engineered wood through an apartment at Cloud 9 in Al Sufouh, Dubai, using two patterns and two tones. Light oak chevron runs through the reception and living area, darker walnut herringbone through the bedrooms and corridor, meeting at the doorway thresholds.
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Project at a Glance
- Location
- Cloud 9, Al Sufouh 1, Al Sufouh, Dubai
- Property
- Apartment, high floor
- Material
- Engineered wood
- Living area
- Chevron, light honey oak
- Bedrooms and corridor
- Herringbone, darker walnut
- Fitted
- In two phases, five weeks apart
- Occupancy
- Apartment empty during the work
- Media
- 4 project photos
- Area served
- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and all seven emirates
Why Two Floors in One Apartment
Most apartments get one floor throughout, and there is a good reason for that: it is simpler, it is cheaper, and it never goes wrong. Running two is a deliberate choice, and it works when the two areas are doing different jobs.
Here the reception and living area take a light honey oak in chevron, which throws the daylight from the windows back into the room and makes the space read wider than it is. The bedrooms take a darker walnut in herringbone, which does the opposite and makes them feel closed and quiet. Both are wood flooring in the same family, so the two tones sit together rather than argue.
The rooms are separated by doors, which is what makes it work. You never see both floors in the same sightline except at a threshold, so they read as two decisions rather than one inconsistency.
Chevron, Herringbone, and the Join Between Them
Chevron and herringbone are often treated as the same thing. They are not. Herringbone uses square-ended boards butted against each other at ninety degrees, so the joints step. Chevron uses boards mitre-cut at an angle so the ends meet point to point and the V runs unbroken down the room. Chevron costs more to buy and more to fit, because every board is cut and every row has to hold its line.
Both patterns punish a subfloor that is not flat. A straight plank floor hides a dip. A chevron floor shows it, because the eye follows the V and any deviation reads as a bend.
The thresholds are where the two floors meet. Each doorway needed the chevron stopped on a clean line and the herringbone started against it, so the change happens exactly at the door and not a board either side of it.
The apartment was empty, and the work was done in two phases five weeks apart. The bedrooms went in first, the living area second.
Two floors in one apartment is not the cheaper option. Two products means two orders, two set-outs and more offcut waste, and chevron on its own already costs more to fit than straight plank. It is worth it when the rooms are genuinely separate and you want them to feel different. In an open-plan flat with no doors, one floor throughout is the better call and we will say so.
The Finished Floors
Urban Flooring fitted the engineered wood flooring. Skirting, doors and wall finishes shown were already in place.
Where This Approach Suits a UAE Home
- Apartments where bedrooms are behind doors and can take a different tone from the living space
- Villas where a formal reception wants a pattern and the family rooms want something plainer
- Any room with strong daylight, where chevron gives the grain a direction to follow
- Renovations fitted in phases, where one area is finished before the next is started
Full detail on patterns, formats and indicative prices is on our parquet flooring page, and the board constructions are covered on engineered wood flooring.
Chevron and Herringbone FAQs
What is the difference between chevron and herringbone?
Herringbone uses square-ended boards butted at ninety degrees, so the joints step across the floor. Chevron uses boards mitre-cut at an angle, so the ends meet point to point and the V runs unbroken. Chevron costs more to buy and more to fit because every board is cut.
Can you use two different wood floors in one apartment?
Yes, and it works best where rooms are separated by doors. You never see both floors in one sightline except at a threshold, so they read as two decisions rather than an inconsistency. In open-plan spaces with no doors, one floor throughout is usually the better choice.
Does a chevron floor need a flatter subfloor than straight planks?
It does. A straight plank floor hides a shallow dip because the eye has nothing to measure it against. On chevron the eye follows the V down the room, so any deviation reads as a bend in the pattern. Subfloor preparation matters more, not less.
Is engineered wood suitable for a Dubai apartment?
Yes. Engineered boards use a plywood or HDF core under a real timber wear layer, which makes them far more stable than solid wood through the humidity swings of a UAE building under constant air conditioning. Solid timber is the material that struggles here, not engineered.
How much more does chevron cost than straight plank?
Chevron costs more on both sides. The boards are cut to an angle so there is more waste in production, and fitting is slower because every row has to hold its line. Herringbone sits between the two. We quote each pattern separately after measuring.
Can engineered wood be sanded and refinished?
Usually yes, depending on the wear layer. A board with a thick oak veneer can be sanded back and refinished more than once over its life. A thin veneer cannot. That is the figure worth asking about when comparing two engineered boards on price.
Do you work across Dubai as well as Abu Dhabi?
Yes. Urban Flooring supplies and fits across all seven emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates. Site visits and measurements are free wherever the project is. This apartment at Cloud 9 in Al Sufouh is one of a number of Dubai projects completed.
Can a floor be fitted in phases, room by room?
Yes, and it suits renovations where the whole flat cannot be handed over at once. This apartment was fitted in two phases five weeks apart, bedrooms first and the living area second. Each phase is set out so the pattern lines carry through correctly when the next one starts.
Planning a Chevron or Herringbone Floor?
Send us the room sizes and a photo of the space and we will come back with a measured quote, including what each pattern would cost against a straight plank. Site visits and measurements are free anywhere in the UAE.
Or call +971 56 689 9831 · See more projects
Urban Flooring Maintenance and Decor Works 7 24A Street, Al Quoz Industrial First, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAEHours: Saturday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM GST, Friday closed
Phone: +971 56 689 9831 · Email: info@urbanfloorings.com
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