Decorating
Know Your Flooring: Hardwood
Hardwood floors can increase the value and beauty of a home. Here we lay the groundwork of what you need to know
Walking into a home with beautiful wooden floors can be greatly pleasing to both the eye and the foot. Created from laying planks of timber, these floors have a richness and grain that can’t be surpassed, and their natural beauty complements most furnishings, joinery and decoration. While wooden floors are one of the more expensive flooring options, the investment can certainly be worth it. This guide gives you the lowdown on wood or timber flooring.
What to consider when choosing wood flooring
- Cost: hardwood floors can be an investment. While they contribute to the value of a home, they can also take a good chunk out of the budget. If the price tag is too hefty, consider using timber-lookalike laminate flooring or recycled floorboards, which can be much more cost effective.
- Hardness: existing timber floors in older houses are often softwoods (predominantly pine) while new Australian flooring timber is generally hardwood. The industry-standard ‘Janka’ rating measures the hardness of each species: harder timbers have a higher number. Some timbers are significantly harder than others, which will determine how well they will perform over the lifetime of the floors.
- Grade: the grade of the timber refers to the level of visible natural features in the wood – natural gum veins, borer markings and other imperfections – and will ultimately influence the look of the floor. ‘Select’, ‘standard’ and ‘feature’ are the three main grades for timber floors. Select grade has very few gum veins or natural imperfections; standard grade has a small amount on every board in the pack; and feature grade has bigger features on every board in the floor, making the appearance more rustic.
- Colour: the species of timber will affect the colour of the flooring and can usually be broken down into blondes (like American white oak and Tasmanian oak), reds (such as jarrah) and browns (for example, brush box and turpentine).
- Width: the width of timber boards can range in size from approximately 60 millimetres to 150 millimetres.
- Finishes: an oil finish allows new timber floors to expand and contract evenly over time. This finish tends to bring out the natural colours and character of timber floors. Other coating systems include polyurethane, water-based finishes and shellac.
The pros of wood flooring
- Classic hardwood floors are imbued with a great sense of warmth and natural beauty, and feel good underfoot.
- Hardwood floors are extremely durable and add to the value of a home, in comparison to laminate timber, when it comes to resale.
- Solid timber floors are easy to look after and can be sanded and refinished many times over their lifetime to keep them in tip-top condition.
- Wood floors can absorb and retain heat to act like a thermal mass, thus improving a home’s heat circulation. Materials with high thermal mass can help lower utility bills.
The cons of wood flooring
- Hardwood floors are an expensive flooring option and installation can be labour intensive.
- Moisture can deteriorate the wood, so mop up spills and get leaks fixed fast. This also means they are not ideal in bathrooms or laundries.
- Some finishes on hardwood scratch and dent easily, so mind those stilettos and put pads on furniture legs. When it comes to refinishing polyurethane, for example, the entire floor may need to be done, whereas only select areas of shellac may need to be refinished.
- Hardwood floors can be noisy, but area rugs and acoustic systems can help dampen sound.
Maintaining wood flooring
- Sweep, vacuum and mop wood floors on a regular basis, and use a floor cleaner and polish to make the wood shine.
- Clean up spills quickly.
- Sand and refinish floors when they appear worn out to restore their warm glow.
Recycled wood
Recycled timber is typically wood salvaged from existing homes and old wooden structures, such as barns, warehouses and factories. Typically, boards are trimmed and nails pulled out, and then re-treated to prevent rot.
Recycled wood is generally more affordable and reclaimed wood is environmentally friendly as no new trees are pulled down. Older timber can also be stronger and more durable than new timber, because the moisture content is practically zero due to the fact they have been drying for many years already. Both this floor and benchtop are made from recycled spotted gum, and the floor has a hard oil wax finish.
Recycled timber is typically wood salvaged from existing homes and old wooden structures, such as barns, warehouses and factories. Typically, boards are trimmed and nails pulled out, and then re-treated to prevent rot.
Recycled wood is generally more affordable and reclaimed wood is environmentally friendly as no new trees are pulled down. Older timber can also be stronger and more durable than new timber, because the moisture content is practically zero due to the fact they have been drying for many years already. Both this floor and benchtop are made from recycled spotted gum, and the floor has a hard oil wax finish.
VARIETY OF TIMBERS
Rosewood
Rosewood is an exceptionally hard wood with a very distinctive grain pattern and colour that ranges from light yellow, through rich red to nearly purple. Popularly used in furniture in the early-20th century, it was harvested (legally and illegally) to the point of near extinction. Today, Rosewood timber should come from sustainable farms or other ethical sources.
Flooring choices for open-plan living
Rosewood
Rosewood is an exceptionally hard wood with a very distinctive grain pattern and colour that ranges from light yellow, through rich red to nearly purple. Popularly used in furniture in the early-20th century, it was harvested (legally and illegally) to the point of near extinction. Today, Rosewood timber should come from sustainable farms or other ethical sources.
Flooring choices for open-plan living
Spotted gum
Spotted gum is a tough timber. The descriptor ‘spotted’ refers to the soft mottled colour of the wood, which is caused by the weathering of the outer tree as it sheds elliptical strips of bark. It has a wavy grain that produces an attractive rippled effect, and the colour can vary from pale grey-browns and soft creams to rich chocolate brown. This floor is maximum width spotted gum boards finished in two-pack satin polyurethane.
Spotted gum is a tough timber. The descriptor ‘spotted’ refers to the soft mottled colour of the wood, which is caused by the weathering of the outer tree as it sheds elliptical strips of bark. It has a wavy grain that produces an attractive rippled effect, and the colour can vary from pale grey-browns and soft creams to rich chocolate brown. This floor is maximum width spotted gum boards finished in two-pack satin polyurethane.
Brush box
Brush box has a fine and even texture with a beautiful, rich colour that can vary from pale pinkish grey to rich reddish brown.
Brush box has a fine and even texture with a beautiful, rich colour that can vary from pale pinkish grey to rich reddish brown.
Cypress pine
Although classed as a softwood, cypress pine is a hard timber that’s termite resistant. It naturally has a light colour and texture, however, this floor has been stained with a wenge colour to darken it up.
Although classed as a softwood, cypress pine is a hard timber that’s termite resistant. It naturally has a light colour and texture, however, this floor has been stained with a wenge colour to darken it up.
Tasmanian oak
Tasmanian oak refers to any one of three particular eucalypt species commonly found in Tasmania. The colour ranges from pale cream to pink and reddish-brown, and as Tasmanian oak logs are quarter-sawn they have an extremely straight and even grain. These floorboards are Tasmanian oak finished with a clear matt polish.
Tasmanian oak refers to any one of three particular eucalypt species commonly found in Tasmania. The colour ranges from pale cream to pink and reddish-brown, and as Tasmanian oak logs are quarter-sawn they have an extremely straight and even grain. These floorboards are Tasmanian oak finished with a clear matt polish.
American white oak
American white oak is a pale-coloured timber with an interesting and pronounced grain pattern. Because it takes stain extremely well, a multitude of colours can be achieved.
American white oak is a pale-coloured timber with an interesting and pronounced grain pattern. Because it takes stain extremely well, a multitude of colours can be achieved.
Grey ironbark
Grey ironbark is one of the most dense hardwood flooring options and is extremely durable, making it ideal for high-traffic areas. The colour of grey ironbark ranges from dark chocolate to nutty honey with some dark reddish brown, and it has a tight cathedral grain pattern. This floor is recycled grey ironbark salvaged from a bridge in Queensland and re-milled into floorboards.
Hardwoods suited to the Australian climate
Grey ironbark is one of the most dense hardwood flooring options and is extremely durable, making it ideal for high-traffic areas. The colour of grey ironbark ranges from dark chocolate to nutty honey with some dark reddish brown, and it has a tight cathedral grain pattern. This floor is recycled grey ironbark salvaged from a bridge in Queensland and re-milled into floorboards.
Hardwoods suited to the Australian climate
Jarrah
Jarrah is a versatile hardwood with rich tones that range from soft salmon pink to rich reddish brown, which deepens to a soft burgundy over time. Jarrah is one of the few commercial species from Western Australia, which is where these recycled jarrah floors were sourced. It is dense and resistant to insect attack.
Jarrah is a versatile hardwood with rich tones that range from soft salmon pink to rich reddish brown, which deepens to a soft burgundy over time. Jarrah is one of the few commercial species from Western Australia, which is where these recycled jarrah floors were sourced. It is dense and resistant to insect attack.
Bamboo
While bamboo flooring is often considered a form of wood flooring, it is actually made from a grass rather than a timber. Individual strands of bamboo are soaked in a binder and then pressed together under high pressure, resulting in a plank suitable for flooring. Lighter stains can reveal and highlight its fibrous grain pattern.
More about bamboo flooring
TELL US
Do you have natural wood flooring in your home? Share photos of it in the Comments section below.
MORE
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While bamboo flooring is often considered a form of wood flooring, it is actually made from a grass rather than a timber. Individual strands of bamboo are soaked in a binder and then pressed together under high pressure, resulting in a plank suitable for flooring. Lighter stains can reveal and highlight its fibrous grain pattern.
More about bamboo flooring
TELL US
Do you have natural wood flooring in your home? Share photos of it in the Comments section below.
MORE
Know Your Flooring: Timber Laminate
Timber or Tiled Flooring? Let’s Compare the Two
10 Fabulous Flooring Options for Your Home
Wood flooring is manufactured from planks milled from a single piece of timber. It can be installed as solid timber planks nailed to a frame, or as floating timber floors.
For solid timber floors, solid lengths of wood are usually connected by interlocking tongues and grooves, and are built upon bearers and joists. They can also be laid over a solid concrete slab with battens or ply sheeting. The planks of solid timber floors usually require time to acclimatise on site.
Floating timber floors comprise several layers of material, with wood veneer being the top layer. They have become increasingly popular due to the ease of installation and the foam insulation that provides sound-proofing qualities, which is well suited to apartment living. Plus, they can be laid directly over a concrete slab, and there’s no sanding, oiling or lacquering required.
Find your match: floating floorboards