Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Jun 28, 2011 11:15 pm Hi everyone, So the next major thing we can't agree on is the flooring. To give an overview of what our renovation will be like, we have a californian bungalow (1920's) and we are adding about 100m2 of kitchen / lounge / dining. The kitchen will be all white, and we are looking for a contemporary / classic style, not modern. What we can't agree on is the flooring. We were looking at spotted gum (solid timber) 130mm wide, but every showroom we go to the sample looks different, and the feedback we have is that there is a great deal of variation in each floor laid, and you really only know what it looks like once sanded and polished. Ideally we would like a darkish, brown tone, but the other recommended options such as brushbox or Blackbutt seem too light, and we definately don't want any red in the colour. So the questions are: 1: What have you done to get a fairly consistent looking darkish brown floor (pics please) 2: Can you share pics of your solid spotted gum. Your assistance is greatly appreciated as we see this as a big part of the overall look and feel of our reno. Thanks, Birdman Re: Spotted Gum timber flooring 2Jun 29, 2011 1:13 am Hi Birdman I'm sorry I can't give any personal experience but just wanted to say that we've been wondering the very same thing. One of the spotted gum sample floors in HomeBase Expo looks like someone muddled a bright red young jarrah into the middle of it, so different it looked out of place. We'd love spotted gum and would be happy with some variation, in fact lots of variation, so long as it stays shades of brown and doesn't veer into red. This is the display house I LOVE with spotted gum floors (The Luxxe by Summit): It stays pretty true, lots of variation but all tones of pretty much the same colour. This is a direct-stick engineered floor, so I guess the advantage of that is it's pre-finished and you don't have to wait until it's all down, sanded and varnished before you know what you're getting. Would you consider an engineered timber? The above photo is from the brochure where it looks a little yellower than in real life, this is the photo I took: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Good luck - I'll be watching responses with interest Anise Build thread: /viewtopic.php?f=31&t=49109 Blog: http://thelofthouse.wordpress.com/ Re: Spotted Gum timber flooring 3Jun 29, 2011 8:54 am I have spotted gum flooring, and I absolutely love the colour variation. There is hardly any red in mine, mainly brown. I would suggest you stick to the solid boards. I have engineered, and I'm not happy with the finish, nor the durability. Drop something and it dents instantly. I never had this issue with solid floors in my last house. I also prefer the gloss finish over the satin of the engineered boards. Partway through installation and far from clean: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Spotted Gum timber flooring 4Jun 29, 2011 3:26 pm Hi Birdman, We put spotted gum throughout our extension and have existing Tassie Oak/Vic Ash throughout the old part of the house. The spotted gum we have is 90mm Select Grade, which is worth a bit more but looks great. There is variation, but we love the look and it is a beautiful feature. The timber is extremely hard. We have a large dog, and her claws have dented the tassie oak (what can you do) but have not touched the spotted gum, which is where she mainly is. Everybody has said look at the hardness of the finish rather than the timber, but I am a bit confused by this, as both floors are finished in the exact same product (done at the same time). Our floors are finished in a waterbased matt, as we were advised that this hides scratches better, and would suits us more than Solvent based (plus better for your health). I have attached a few pictures. This shows from the tassie oak to the spotted gum [img][IMG]http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h346/spottydog101/IMG_0428.jpg[/img][img] This is the spotted gum, the tassie oak starts at the bench [img][IMG]http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h346/spottydog101/IMG_0425.jpg[/img][/img]. I hope that works - my first time posting photos.... Hi We have Hybrid Spotted Gum Hp0995 from carpet call. It turned out to be very dark and rough. Is there any polish or product we can use to make it shinier ? 0 9167 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15819 1000000% definitely add insulation. I have in my home and it makes a big difference minimising sound transfer. Insulation is pretty cheap and definitely worth it 2 6148 |