Hi, I had a Spotted Gum Timber Floor ( 10mm Real Solid Timber Single Planks ) in a penthouse apartment for 8 years . It was pre-coated in high gloss clear from the factory . When it was laid it was necessary to have a noise reduction 3mm foam under layer ( apartments underneath building noise requirement) . This method of installation actually made the floor very quiet and it also made it a little softer to walk over . When it got any scuff marks, they just easily wiped off with a damp cloth. When I sold the penthouse, the floor was in exactly the same condition as the day it was first laid - first class. It was only ever cleaned with a steam cleaner , no chemicals whatsoever . I would certainly recommend the pre-coated polyurethane gloss finish on the real timber planks to anyone, it was great ! You can just see a glimpse of the kitchen floor in the attached two images. Good luck with your specifying . High quality surface finishes normally stand the test of time . I have added a couple of extra images of the penthouse for interest. We did the interior design fit out after buying the shell from the developer. It was a stunning sky home . Cheers LAADP

Eric, is it the red colour you don't particularly like? Which timbers do you like most? Have you seen spotted gum? I mention it because the colour tones in spotted gum vary and it might possibly be worth consideration. I realise many consider having the same timber flooring throughout the house as ideal; however, as your bedrooms have doors, I believe it would be perfectly acceptable to have a different timber flooring in them (be consistent here though). If this were my Dilemna, I would match the timber width to the width of your red gum flooring, and use a top-notch installer, someone with whom you can discuss the best way to lay the planks given your other flooring.

What colour are the floors? Or a photo would be handy.

We wish to cover a tiled floor with a floating floor, don’t know whether the laminate or hybrid ?