We had a Vic Ash floor laid recently in our living room. The floor polishing person we used was excellent in every way, including helping us choose which products to use, which was a great start. He said that polyurethane gives timber that tan colouring, but water based (non-toxic) finish doesn't develop any colour - so you get the natural colour of the timber, intensified just a tiny bit as if it is wet - our finished floor is beautiful. If you want the timber tinted, they have tints they can apply before sealing. The water based non-toxic finish is more expensive, but more durable than polyurethane, and not high gloss which I dislike, so I decided readily that it is worth it. We are in Melbourne and the business name of this gentleman, Sasha, is S&A Flooring Services. They were very clean and methodical, leaving no mess or unsatisfactory areas of work. They did a beautiful job, and the finish was as he described in the first place when we chose the products. Getting people in for various advice, repairs or restorations in the home can be difficult and disappointing, so trades people like this man Sasha, and the resultant finish we live with, are a pleasure.

Filling gaps between timber floor boards can lead to disaster and is best avoided. Sanded and polished timber floors tend to swell slightly during the humid months of the year and shrink again in the drier months. This creates movement in the timber floor. If you fill the floor when the gaps are at their widest and then encounter some humid weather, the floors will swell, closing the gap and forcing the filling out of the grooves and cracking the timber floor finish. This looks far worse than gaps in the polished timber floors. If you can't live with the gaps, laying a engineered timber floor over the top may be your best choice. Painting your floors white is also best to avoid as this only accentuates the size of the gaps. Good luck with your decision. Engineered timber floors

i added a dining room extension 2 years ago and chose cyprus pine flooring to match the existing timber floor of my old cottage. Im near beaches so decided to lime wash the floor. 2 years down the track whilst i really love the look i can tell you the finish does not last. It is not even a high traffic area and you have to keep an eye on it to keep it clean of any little marks so they dont damage the surface of the wash. So my advice would be whilst a really beautiful look avoid because it does not go the distance.

Contact a flooring installation specialist and get them to meet you on site. There are too many products on the market now, so it can be too confusing.