Step 1: Mark the Centerline

finding a center line with a trammel to install a herringbone floor
Photo: Wendell T. Webber
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Snap a chalk line down the center of the room, along its length. Then use a trammel to mark a perpendicular line: With the trammel's point on one end of the centerline, draw a semicircle across it; from the other end, draw intersecting arcs, as shown. Use a straightedge to connect the points where the arcs intersect. Now you can measure off of these perpendicular lines to create the rectangular field the herringbone will occupy.
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    Tools List

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    • 30-foot tape measure
      Measuring tape
    • chalk line
      Chalk line
    • trammel
      Trammel. Make one from a piece of scrap board
    • straightedge guide
      Straightedge
    • framing square
      Framing square
    • miter saw
      Miter saw
    • mallet
      Rubber mallet
    • router
      Router and 1¼-inch flooring bit
    • speed square
      Rafter square
    • drill
      Drill/driver
    • flooring nailer
      Flooring nailer
    • circular saw
      Circular saw

    Shopping List

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    Engineered tongue-and-groove strip flooring.
    Have your supplier determine how much you need, but figure on 15 percent waste.

    Feature and apron strips to frame the herringbone field.

    Flooring splines

    Molding to create a guide for the circular saw.

    ¾-inch plywood
    Get one 4x8 sheet to make the nailing blank and a straightedge.

    1½-inch drywall screwsto attach the blank to the subfloor.

    16-gauge 2-inch L-head flooring nails or 'cleats'

    Wood glue

    Painter's tape