Hi Kate, do you have any floor plans or pictures which will help us visualise the areas?

Spotted Gum is a great hard wearing timber with a Janka rating of 11. This means it is high density timber and won't dent as easily as softer timbers like American Oak. A polyurethane finish is the hardest and most durable timber floor coating and it comes in gloss satin and mat. The lower sheen's are more forgiving if you you have pets and young children. Bamboo is another hard product but only comes in short lengths so you would need to take that look into consideration when selecting. Some clients don't like the look of the short boards and consider it a cheap look. Others prefer the longer floor boards of timber. If you do choose bamboo make sure that you find out the coating used and whether it can be sanded and re coated down the track, as all timber and bamboo floors will need a touch up especially if you have pets. Some bamboo floors can not be sanded due the coating used. Hope this helps. Our website may offer some inspiration. Good Luck http://budgetfloorsanding.com.au/

Hi Hannah, there has been a stunning transformation in the design aesthetics of Luxury Vinyl flooring in the last few years with the ability to replicate timber and stone looks by using advances photographic technologies. Luxury Vinyl is a perfect flooring choice for those wanting a hard flooring plank option, whether it be replicating a distressed or whitewashed timber look, stone, dark marble effect or just a plain tile option. Thanks, Choices Flooring

The skirting boards in pic are a meranti type colour as are the doors and architraves. Hubby does NOT want to change the colour or even consider white. Besides carpet what type of flooring could we lay that would still tie in well?