New England Oak..How does it rate for Quality and durability

Hi all,

I have decided to go timber flooring and after much discussion we like the shades the Boral new england Oak product provides.
I have never heard of it i know tassy oak is hard wood but know nothing of this product.

Has anyone used or installed this product before and how do you rate the product from this company and as a Species?

would an oil finish suit?

New England Oak is a Boral trade name for Eucalyptus Viminalis and has the various common names - White Gum, Ribbon Gum or Manna Gum.

It is a fairly soft timber like the three eucalypts in Tassie Oak, so I wouldn't recommend it with a tung-oil personally. I would be looking at a polyurethane finish (water or solvent based) for protection.

hmmm so stringy bark ok for the application im talking about?
and would it mark easily?
my builder recommended a oil finish for repair of scratches. he said it was easier than a poly finish. is that true?

stringybark is harder yes, as far as marking goes - a floor coated in tung oil will scratch easier as the oil penetrates the timber whilst a poly sits mostly on top of the timber. A poly will scartch but will protect the actual timber better. That being said a tung oiled floor can be recoated and repaired without resanding.

Check whether the stringybark is single species or mixed. Generally single would be either Yellow Stringybark or Messmate Stringybark. Boral for example sell a mixed Stringybark (containing Yellow, White, Messmate and others)
IMO Yellow Stringybark would be the better choice - harder and better durability timber.

thank you for your help... will do..
one last thing if you dont mind..

if you had 5 kids 2 of which will be under the age of 3 and you had to pick a light colored timber... what would you choose?

Coastal Blackbutt (which I have), Yellow Stringybark, Silvertop Ash or Coastal Grey Box