Timber Flooring

When building or renovating, elegant flooring can add substantial value to your home, in addition to looking and feeling great. Because flooring has a major influence on the feel and mood of a room, it’s important to make the right choice. You’ve also got to consider how much traffic it’ll get and factor in maintenance and durability, as well as appearance, comfort and cost.

Living areas

· In rooms where family and friends gather, the aim is usually to combine good looks with practicality.

· Timber or carpet tend to be the main options. 

Kitchens and bathrooms

· Kitchen floors, in particular, need to be both spill- and busy-proof — generally, hard flooring like tile, stone and timber is a good choice.

· For bathrooms, though, tiles need to be non-slip and timber properly waterproofed.

· Some softer floorings, such as cork, vinyl or even rubber, can work in these areas too...

Timber floors have very wide appeal, particularly in living areas — they’re also a strong home selling point.

Timber flooring is available in a wide variety of types, styles and wood species. You can choose between structural solid plank styles that slot together, parquetry designs and relatively new floating floors that can be overlaid on pre-existing solid floors.

Advantages of timber include: 

· High durability: well-sealed timber is spill, stain and chemical-resistant. 

· Comfort. 

· Easy care. 

· It’s relatively low-allergenic.

· Timber and other solid floors like tile are recommended if a member of the family suffers from allergies or asthma.

Disadvantages: 

· Unsealed timber flooring can stain, dent and scratch easily — it’s not a very practical option for homes. 

· High traffic areas will need stripping and sanding every three to four years (not only to keep it looking good, but also to maintain its moisture resistance, which is important in preventing warping or other problems).