@juliede, I recently commented on another forum about timber versus tiles saying that hubby and I originally agreed on timber floors, as we both love real wood, and we have a local mill and the tongue and groove floor boards were, a few years ago about $36sqmtr and tiles were about the same again a few years ago. Recently I started thinking that tiles would be easier to lay than traditional floor boards given we're doing all the work on our build ourselves and we're not young but hubby isn't interested, as he feels the tiled floor would be too cold in winter, which would of course be true but how nice would it be in summer!!! Anyway, just a few weeks ago I looked at bamboo flooring available in a click style, so very easy to lay, whilst being 100% solid bamboo and I'm quite impressed to the point that I could really go for this flooring, problem is, well for me it is, it's over $70+ mtr. At over 100 sq mtrs in the home, that's over $7000 I can see now why allot of people decide to go wtih either tiles or real floorboards as these engineered floors are very expensive. Good luck with your choice. Cheers, Barbara

Hello Stella In the flooring industry this type of flooring was called a floating floor, because it sits on an underlay. Now it is called an engineered floor (and stops the first question being about the noise underfoot).... but the noise remains depending on the level of the floor and the type of underlay. Engineered floors have a number of layers of timber/ply at right angles to allow the expansion/contraction of the grain to be controlled. The top layer is the prefinished or raw timber species that you want with the other layers in various ply. There are cheaper alternatives again that have particle board (chipboard) or mdf backing with a laminate printed pattern. These are, in my humble opinion not worth opening the box. A solid timber floor can be laid a multitude of ways. Over concrete, I waterproof the slab, level it and glue and nail a plywood sheet. The timber is then laid over it, sanded and flooded (gaps filled) then sealed with a finish being either oil or water/oil based polyurethane. It can also be stained before sealing. With the engineered floors, they come from all over the world. Some are made in China, some are made in Indonesia, some are made in Europe and so on. A major supplier to a lot of the flooring companies is a company called Premium Floors. They supply products to eg carpet shops inc Quick-step and have done for many many years. Their website is worth a look before you go out into retail outlets. As to your original question, when I built my first family home I installed a readyflor (premium floors as it happened) floating floor. The floor withstood some almighty parties (before kids) and still looks amazing 18 years later (it hasn't been sanded at all). Today, I only install solid timber floors in our work purely because of personal preference and the type of renovations we are doing, and when requested by a client we have sourced from Europe. Cheers

I was in a similar spot with my renovation a few years ago and ended up going with engineered wood floors in a dark oak finish for the main living and kitchen area. What really sold me was the maintenance, so much easier to clean after kitchen messes, and the boards still looked good even after a few scratches from the kids. I found the better-made engineered boards with a thick top layer can be refinished at least once, and they feel pretty solid underfoot. In my hallway, I went with solid timber as a bit of a test; honestly, both have their strengths, but the engineered option gave me more of the color and look I wanted with less stress about upkeep. If you’re leaning towards a dark timber look, I found a lot of inspiration just browsing different styles at places that specialize specifically in natural wood floor, places that let you see the real thing laid out. It definitely helped me make the final call.

If you’re like most people, you’ll love the look of quality wooden floors. It’s one of the most popular flooring options for living areas, and for good reason. However, some people are wary of wood-floored kitchens. After all, wouldn’t the wood be damaged by all the moisture and spills? But it is not the truth. Today, timber flooring can serve a great purpose in a kitchen. As Canberra’s wood flooring experts, we’re here to share some of the reasons wood floors should be incorporated into your kitchen. Why You Should Consider Timber Flooring For Your Kitchen? 1. Sustainable materials For some, when it comes to kitchen floors, it’s not just about looks; it’s also about the sustainability of the materials used. If this is a consideration for your new kitchen design, engineered flooring is a good choice because only the top layer is made of slow-growing hardwoods. You can also find engineered floors derived from renewable trees. Asking your local flooring experts and investigating how and where they source materials can be tricky. There are certainly suppliers and installers who prioritize sustainable and eco-friendly practices while still producing high-quality flooring that meets all your requirements. 2. Durable When you choose quality engineered wooden flooring, you can be sure you’re choosing a durable option that will stand the test of time. With the right care and maintenance, hardwood floors will look amazing year after year, regardless of the foot traffic in your kitchen. If you’re looking for something new, or want to refinish old wood floors, you can also sand the wood flooring to remove any built-up damage. Sanding and refinishing floors is a great solution to help accentuate and breathe new life into your floor’s natural beauty. In short, it’s an affordable way to restore wood flooring without a complete replacement. 3. Easy installation Engineered floorings are easy to install in the right conditions, especially if you have a wood installation specialist. But if you have the knack, you can even do it yourself! Flooring 2 You has the most professional flooring installation team, so you can trust us to install the kitchen wooden flooring. 4. Easy to maintain Worried about how to keep your floors beautiful, especially in your cooking space? It’s all about the ease of maintenance in the kitchen, and you can’t go beyond wood floors for hassle-free care. All you need is a quick daily sweep to remove dirt and debris, followed by a proper vacuum once a week. The main thing to remember is to clean up spills immediately to avoid water damage. 5. Beautiful appearance and comfort One of the most compelling reasons to use timber flooring in a kitchen is that it looks beautiful and has a timeless quality. Nothing beats the look of quality wooden flooring. It adds warmth and character to your space. It is also suitable for various types of decoration. Regardless of your interior design preferences, whether your kitchen is a dark-toned kitchen or bright, wood floors are guaranteed to look good and complement your vision. By the way, you won’t get cold feet like you would with a tiled kitchen. Looking for more inspiration for your kitchen timber flooring? VisitFlooring 2 You to browse more flooring options. https://flooring2you.com.au/why-should-consider-timber-flooring-for-your-kitchen/