Do Herringbone Floors Cost More in NYC Condos?
Summary: Herringbone floors are all over design magazines, but how many new NYC condos actually have them, and do you pay more for one? We searched NYC condo offering plans for patterned wood floors and compared what those buildings ask per square foot.
How Common Is Herringbone?
Herringbone lays short wood planks in a zigzag; its cousin, chevron, cuts the plank ends at an angle so the zigzag forms a clean point. Both take more labor and more wood than straight planks. We searched the offering plans for them and found herringbone or chevron in the apartments of 37 buildings, about 1 in 49 plans filed since 2020.
Patterned floors have stayed a small share of plans, but the number of buildings with them has grown:
| Filed | Buildings with herringbone or chevron wood floors | Share of plans we read |
|---|---|---|
| 2010–2014 | 1 | 1% |
| 2015–2019 | 8 | 2% |
| 2020–2022 | 11 | 2% |
| 2023–2026 | 17 | 2% |
Before 2020, herringbone was a Manhattan luxury signature: 9 of the 9 buildings we found from those years are in Manhattan. 220 Central Park South specified quartered and rift-sawn white oak "plank and/or herringbone," 111 Murray Street in TriBeCa offered two floor systems, "Herringbone and Plank," and The Belnord on the Upper West Side called for "white oak herringbone floors."
Since 2020, it has spread to smaller buildings in Brooklyn and Queens, 14 of the 28 buildings. Several Bed-Stuy brownstone-scale condos, including 773 Greene Avenue, 680 Greene Avenue and 153 Chauncey Street, use the same spec: 5-inch-wide hardwood in a chevron pattern in the hallways, kitchens, living and dining rooms.
Do You Pay More for It?
These floors aren't just for luxury towers: asking prices in these buildings ranged from $888 to $3,768 a square foot. Offering plans never price the floor separately, so there's no line item for "herringbone."
Here's what each of these buildings with a price list asked, from its offering plan's Schedule A, next to the median for other new condos in the same borough filed within a year:
| Eleven East Sixty Eighth Street | +72% |
|---|---|
| 37 East 12th Street | +59% |
| L'avenue | +59% |
| 78 Irving Place | +44% |
| 200 East 75th Street | +40% |
| 64 University Place | +40% |
| 515 West 18th Street | +34% |
| Wales | +31% |
| Rowan II | +29% |
| 133 East 55th Street | +23% |
| La Maison Collette | +20% |
| 378 Broome Street | +19% |
| Arloparc | +17% |
| 108 Leonard | +5% |
| Austin | +2% |
| Matteo | +1% |
| 680 Greene Avenue | +1% |
| 65 Eckford | −2% |
| 773 Greene Avenue | −2% |
| 95 Madison Residences | −6% |
| The 101 | −9% |
| Giio | −9% |
| 153 Chauncey Street | −11% |
| Gio | −11% |
| Fabric Astoria 46th Street | −22% |
| 569 Jefferson | −23% |
| Roche Residencies | −25% |
Each building's Schedule A asking $/sf against other new condos in the same borough filed within a year.
| Building | Filed | Asking $/sf | Borough median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 569 Jefferson, Brooklyn | 2021 | $888 | $1,156 | −23% |
| Fabric Astoria 46th Street, Queens | 2024 | $960 | $1,230 | −22% |
| 153 Chauncey Street, Brooklyn | 2022 | $1,042 | $1,166 | −11% |
| 773 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn | 2021 | $1,127 | $1,156 | −2% |
| 680 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn | 2022 | $1,174 | $1,166 | +1% |
| Gio, Brooklyn | 2025 | $1,241 | $1,402 | −11% |
| Austin, Queens | 2024 | $1,254 | $1,230 | +2% |
| Giio, Brooklyn | 2025 | $1,271 | $1,402 | −9% |
| 65 Eckford, Brooklyn | 2025 | $1,379 | $1,402 | −2% |
| Rowan II, Queens | 2026 | $1,558 | $1,204 | +29% |
| Roche Residencies, Manhattan | 2025 | $1,686 | $2,242 | −25% |
| The 101, Manhattan | 2021 | $2,041 | $2,240 | −9% |
| Matteo, Manhattan | 2024 | $2,164 | $2,138 | +1% |
| 95 Madison Residences, Manhattan | 2026 | $2,210 | $2,346 | −6% |
| L'avenue, Brooklyn | 2026 | $2,226 | $1,402 | +59% |
| 108 Leonard, Manhattan | 2018 | $2,248 | $2,132 | +5% |
| Arloparc, Manhattan | 2023 | $2,477 | $2,123 | +17% |
| 378 Broome Street, Manhattan | 2023 | $2,530 | $2,123 | +19% |
| La Maison Collette, Manhattan | 2025 | $2,698 | $2,242 | +20% |
| 133 East 55th Street, Manhattan | 2026 | $2,885 | $2,346 | +23% |
| Wales, Manhattan | 2021 | $2,941 | $2,240 | +31% |
| 515 West 18th Street, Manhattan | 2020 | $2,943 | $2,197 | +34% |
| 200 East 75th Street, Manhattan | 2024 | $2,989 | $2,138 | +40% |
| 64 University Place, Manhattan | 2022 | $3,061 | $2,191 | +40% |
| 78 Irving Place, Manhattan | 2015 | $3,157 | $2,198 | +44% |
| 37 East 12th Street, Manhattan | 2015 | $3,504 | $2,198 | +59% |
| Eleven East Sixty Eighth Street, Manhattan | 2013 | $3,768 | $2,193 | +72% |
Asking $/sf: each plan's Schedule A price list. Borough median: other new condos in the same borough filed within a year, by the same measure.
Across all 27 patterned-floor buildings with a price list, the median asked 5% more than comparable new condos, which is essentially the same. 9 priced within 10% of their borough's median, 13 more than 10% above and 5 more than 10% below. In Brooklyn and Queens (11 buildings), the typical difference was −2%; Rowan II in Long Island City (+29%) is the exception. The big premiums were in Manhattan (16 buildings, typically +22%), in buildings like 37 East 12th Street and La Maison Collette where the floor is one of many high-end finishes, not the reason for the price.
The catch: this compares whole buildings, not floors, and rests on a small number of buildings. Location, views, layouts and every other finish affect the price per square foot. What it shows is that a herringbone floor doesn't by itself put a building in a higher price bracket.
Read the Fine Print: "Or" and "Some Units"
A herringbone floor in the brochure doesn't always mean herringbone in every room of every apartment. Watch for:
- "Plank or herringbone." 95 Madison says flooring "will be laid in a straight or herringbone pattern." 200 East 75th specifies "herringbone or other pattern selected by sponsor" in living and dining rooms.
- Only some apartments. At Lantern House, the chevron floors are in the living areas of the three- and four-bedroom units and penthouses. At ArloParc, the herringbone spec applies to units from the second through the fourteenth floors.
- Only some rooms. Nova in Long Island City uses a chevron pattern in its kitchens.
- "Or equal." Plans commonly let the developer substitute materials of equal quality.
Tip: if the floor matters to you, confirm the pattern for your specific apartment in your contract.
Wood, Width and Construction
Patterned or not, new condo floors are usually oak, often white oak, and many are engineered: a real wood top layer over plywood, which is more stable over concrete and radiant heat than solid planks. A few details worth knowing:
- Wear layer. The thickness of the real-wood top layer determines how many times the floor can be sanded and refinished. Plans like ArloParc state it ("3mm wear layer").
- Solid wood still appears in some herringbone floors, like the ¾-inch solid white oak at 569 Jefferson.
- Sound underlayment. Plans often specify an acoustic mat under the wood. It matters more than the pattern to your downstairs neighbor.
More on how finishes have changed in how NYC condo finishes have changed since 2010.
How to Check a Building's Floors
- Find the finish schedule in the offering plan's "Description of Property." It lists the floor for each room, often with plank size, species and maker.
- Search the plan for "herringbone" or "chevron." Then check whether it applies to your unit and rooms.
- Look for "engineered" and the wear layer to know how the floor can be refinished.
Search "condos with herringbone floors" on The Condo Book Project.
FAQ
Do new NYC condos have herringbone floors?
A few do. About 1 in 49 offering plans filed since 2020 specify herringbone or chevron wood floors in the apartments, from Manhattan luxury buildings to small condos in Bed-Stuy, Greenpoint and Queens.
Do condos with herringbone floors cost more?
Not by much. Across 27 buildings with price lists, the median asked about the same per square foot as other new condos in the same borough. The highest premiums were in Manhattan buildings with many high-end finishes.
What's the difference between herringbone and chevron?
Both are zigzag patterns. Herringbone uses rectangular planks that overlap at the ends; chevron planks are cut at an angle so they meet in a clean point.
Are condo floors solid or engineered wood?
Many new NYC condos use engineered wood, typically oak, which holds up better over concrete slabs. Some higher-end buildings still use solid wood.
How did you find these floors?
We searched the 2,182 NYC condominium offering plans with searchable text for herringbone and chevron, and kept mentions of wood floors inside apartments (not lobbies, amenity rooms, bathroom tile or backsplashes). The reading is automated and may miss a few plans. Updated October 2026.
How is the price comparison made?
Asking prices per square foot come from each plan's Schedule A price list, compared with the median of other new condos in the same borough filed within a year. Plans don't price individual finishes.
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