Thinking about revamping your floors or replacing tiles for hardwood flooring? Check out this ultimate guide on finding the best hardwood flooring.
Hardwood Flooring is a popular and common choice for residential properties. They add both style and warmth to a home. Not only are they incredibly easy to maintain, but they also reduce the collection of dust and pollen particles, unlike carpet. Making hardwood flooring the more hypo-allergenic option. The lack of dust also improves the air quality inside your home. You can trust that when you return home, your house will feel open and fresh.
Solid Timber / Hardwood
Solid timber / hardwood is a timeless and classic addition to any house. There is an array of colours and wood options to suit the aesthetic of your home. For example, the creamy golden hues of Stringybark and Australian Beech are particularly favorable in a coastal or Scandinavian inspired home. They complement minimal decor and a light colour palette around the home.
Grown and manufactured in Australia, Blackbutt is one of the hardest and more expensive timber. It is fire resistant and incredibly durable. This is a reason for its popularity, particularly in the Australian climate. Despite Blackbutt sounding almost invincible, it is not able to handle large puddles of water or moisture for an extended period. This is important to note if you live near a flood-prone area.
If you want to add a bit of flair or character to your floors, Spotted Gum is a great option. The wavy grain creates a desirable and attractive fiddle-back effect.
When deciding on the species for your home flooring, be sure to consider the hardness of the timber. Softer timber tend to be easily scratched by pets or high heeled shoes. They are also more vulnerable to dents.
You can find the solid timber / hardwood species mentioned above at Ace Timber Floors. They recommend that you view large samples of your desired timber species before making your purchase, as there are natural variations in the colour.
Engineered Timber
If you are on a slightly tighter budget or live in a unit but want the look of solid timber / hardwood, you may like to consider engineered timber. They are manufactured in layers, the top being a hardwood layer or otherwise known as (veneer) and the rest consisting of sturdy plywood. Prestige Oak flooring provides a lifetime structural board warranty so you can be assured that the engineered timber installed in your home is covered if it begins to warp or twist. They come in a range of colours to compliment your home and are the preferred choice by leading architects and designers.
In comparison to solid timber / hardwood, they are more cost-efficient and easier to install and plenty of colour & size (thickness, board lengths & widths) options. However, they are unable to be sanded down more than a handful of times depending on the thickness of the wear layer. This is because once the top layer is removed, the layers underneath the surface hardwood layer will be exposed. A recommended 6mm wear layer will allow you to sand up to 3 times. This option will give you roughly 30 years of life before a much-needed replacement.
To prolong the life of your engineered timber flooring, runners and rugs on high footfall areas may reduce possible damage over time.
If you are interested in understanding more about hardwood flooring, please get in touch with Ace Timber Floors as they can provide assistance in making the best choice for your residential flooring.
