So you think you can dance…. On timber!

So you think you can dance…. On timber!

For eleven years now, my son ,Chris, and I, together with the HQ Flooring team have sat down with aspiring Brisbane timber floor owners and talked about laying, sanding and maintenance; what’s good and what’s not. So if 2010 is your year for ripping up the carpet, or giving a burst of new life to the old boards (even if you just want to show off and get a better price for the home) here’s a few thoughts on the common misunderstandings about timber floors.

I have a concrete slab, I can’t lay a timber floor!

Oh yes, you can. You can put down battens, pinned through a polyethylene moisture barrier into the concrete and lay 19mm tongue and groove on those. You can even save a few dollars by pinning 15mm builders ply to the concrete and laying 12mm tongue and groove to it. Or, you can direct stick 15mm engineered flooring to the concrete (over a moisture barrier).

Timber flooring marks too easily, carpet is hardier.

This is a case of visual perception. You see, the same things that scratch and damage a timber floor… dirt, moisture, hard surfaces like toys, animals and direct sunlight…also damage carpet and vinyl floor coverings. A simple care and maintenance plan will help all your floor coverings.

Timber flooring is so expensive!

Certainly, timber flooring is not cheap. It’s comparable to tiles in many respects. The cost of laying a new floor is usually 50% labour, 50% timber but this is highly dependant upon where you buy the timber from and what species of timber you choose. Australian hardwoods such as beech, ash and spotted gum are highly competitive at present.

I want one colour, timber has lots of colours.

There’s an element of truth here, a natural material like timber does have a range of colour, but the species can determine the extent of that range. If you like a red, Jarrah runs from deep scarlet to pink. Sydney Blue Gum is a pale red range Spotted Gum can range from greens to greys through to browns, while brushbox is predominantly browns and oranges. Blackbutt is a very popular pale timber and Satin Ash covers greys and browns. You do need to see the timber in a showroom, don’t choose from a single sample.

Timber is hard to look after

In fact, common sense is the best guide to looking after a timber floor. It doesn’t like dirt and it doesn’t like water (this is common to all floor coverings). An investment in good quality matts front and rear, regular vacuuming and having the family not wear outdoor footwear inside will double the life of your timber floor and your carpet.
If it does start to wear, a top coat from your local timber flooring professional costs not much more than a carpet shampoo.

Want to know more?

The HQ Flooring team have serviced Brisbane and the Gold Coast for eleven years, a family company specialising in domestic timber flooring. Call us and put the coffee on… we’ll answer your questions, show photos and samples, provide an obligation free quote and set out an installation plan to suit your needs.