There are millions of options when coming to timber flooring. And their prices vary massively as well. What kind of timber flooring best suits you and your home? Read on to find out.
REAL vs ENGINEERED
Timber flooring can be categorized into two major segments – solid timber planks and engineered. Actual planks are self-explanatory as being cut into rectangular pieces to be laid onto a surface to form a floor. Most planks sold are prefinished but require rather complicated installation including nailing or gluing.
The engineered range is more complicated. It includes from timber veneers being glued together to the SPC floors which may not include authentic timber within the flooring. Most SPC floors are totally synthetic that uses vinyl to replicate the texture of wood. Despite not using timber at all, quality SPC vinyl floors can get readily expensive due to its attention to recreate the texture of wood.
Lately, new innovations have replaced vinyl in engineered SPC flooring with authentic timber veneer that retains the actual colour and texture of timber while significantly minimising cost. Rigid core timber flooring is also unlikely to encounter embarrassing situation of similar timber pattern on the floor.
What’s the difference?
By the structural characteristic differences, authentic timber flooring generally requires more maintenance as regular refinishing is required and it is more prone to dents and scratches. Engineered floorings with stacked wood veneers spot similar properties with authentic timber planks while cannot be refinished after multiple times.
SPC floorings are more durable with its protective coating on top. SPC floorings best suit DIYers as most come with a clip-on system and usually easy to install on uneven floors. SPC floorings require less maintenance other than regular cleaning and are waterproof as well.
What colour should you choose?
In general, timber flooring in lighter colour and brown tones are considered more contemporary. Light-colour timber floors like natural oak are better for smaller room to enhance the spatial feeling with its properties to reflect light. But dirt is more readily seen on lighter colours.
Warm floorings like Australian Blackbutt and Australian Spotted Gum require less cleaning while offering a welcoming feel for larger space. Dark-coloured floors provide a sense of formal and intimacy. But if it is smartly used, dark floors can bring chic into industrial-style spaces.
What is the floor that you’re installing on?
Solid timber planks are more destructive upon installation when compared to the SPC range. The former option would require gluing, nailing or other methods that would damage the sub-floor when removed. Solid timber can last a lifetime if maintained properly. However, if the property is rented, or likely to be renovated, solid timber might not be the best option.
SPC, on the other hand, uses a clip-on system without the need to permanently secure the flooring to the sub-floor. Additional benefits from SPC include sound dampening and installation on uneven surface. If the sub-floor is not well surfaced or the timber flooring would be installed on upper levels, SPC flooring might be a better option.
As a leading company in wholesale timber flooring, Sunstar Flooring brings an innovative timber flooring option to Australia by merging authentic timber veneer into SPC flooring for the texture and warmth from real wood while the structural benefits of SPC.
Juan Farr is an avid home blogger, with the goal of helping his readers find inspiration and ideas for their next project. He writes about everything from small design projects to large renovations. His goal is to help people transform their homes into something that reflects who they are.
