FLOOR SHOW
WHETHER YOU ARE RENOVATING OR BUILDING FROM SCRATCH, TIMBER FLOORS CAN ADD CHARM AND AUTHENTICITY TO YOUR INTERIOR. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
SOMETIMES IT’S THE BIG decisions that can be forgotten when planning a renovation or building a new house. It is so easy to get swept away with all the design choices — furniture, soft furnishings and accessories — that structural elements such as roofing and flooring get forgotten. However, this is a rookie error. A considered decision about flooring is vital — it tends to be pretty well permanent and it forms the framework for the whole room. Indeed, it is literally the basis for the aesthetic of an interior. Experienced renovators know that time spent making the right choice at the start of a building project saves a lot of stress later. And avoids expensive last-minute changes of mind. Marketing manager at Premium Floors, Jozefien De Baere, says that novices often get confused and intimidated by all the timber flooring choices available. “People tend to put it off because it’s such an effort — especially when they’re renovating,” she says. “You have to move all your furniture, it’s a dirty job, it costs a lot of money and it has a huge impact on the interior.” Jozefien recommends beginning with how you want the room to look. “First of all, start with the colour of your floor and the type of wood. Are you going for a rustic look, which is often busier and will be an eye-catcher? Or are you going for a soft blond oak that just melts away in your interior?” Light floors will open up a room and provide a feeling of spaciousness, while darker shades will make a space feel more cosy and comfortable. The trend is for lighter shades, but many still prefer the drama of a rich, dark chocolate. Anne Plumb of Royal Oak Floors says she likes to combine the chosen aesthetics with functionality. Royal Oak offers what she calls a “carefully edited” range, which simplifies decision-making and is in line with where they see the demand from their customers. “We spend a lot of time developing our ranges, creating the colours ourselves. So that you can’t really make a wrong choice,” she says. Perennial favourite is the White Smoked shade, says Anne. “It’s a light, very soft blond timber colour,” she says. “And then the other shades that are very popular are the greys.” Royal Oak offers engineered floorboards, which come pre-finished. The main benefit of these boards is the stability of the timber, because solid timber expands and contracts with the width of the grain. >
“Because we specialise in wide boards, if you had them as a solid piece of timber, you really run the risk of a lot of expansion and contraction with weather changes,” she explains. “Timber lets moisture out and draws moisture in. So, by engineering them (and they are still real timber), you have that cross grain going in different directions that form all of the substrate. You’ve got forces working to keep that top outer layer flat.” Architectural finishes specialist at Tongue n Groove flooring, Elle Mccarthy, likes to look at the structural elements — the substrate — before helping customers make a final decision on their timber flooring. Tongue n Groove also specialises in engineered floorboards, which are not only stable, but versatile. Unlike solid timber, they can be installed over multiple types of subfloor surfaces, from concrete slabs to bearers and joists, and even tiled surfaces. It’s the perfect way to add an authentic touch to an outdated kitchen, or living space. One product that is particularly sought-after in country settings is the ‘Vecchio’ floorboard, which has an aged, recycled look. Elle has sold the ‘Vecchio’ range into areas such as Orange, Scone and Bowral, where it has fitted seamlessly into older, rustic-style buildings. “It obviously translates really well into the aesthetic of those areas,” she says. Pre-finished, the boards don’t need sanding and can be the last element placed in a building project. Some types of engineered boards can be laid over under-floor heating, popular in Victoria, Tasmania and the NSW Southern Highlands. Elle is seeing their customers increasingly being drawn to aged finishes such as the ‘Vecchio’ when choosing timber floors. “Things that are handmade, that tell a story, that have more texture and character,” she says. In interior decorating there has been a return to elements that hark back to an era when the home was filled with pieces that took time to put together and things were handmade with personality. “It’s about creating a kind of warmth and texture and character in your space,” Elle concludes. For more, visit the showrooms via premiumfloors.com.au, tonguengrooveflooring.com.au, and royaloakfloors.com.au