Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Sep 21, 2011 3:12 pm Hi , we are deciding on what sort of floor boards to choose for our new house. what are the pros and cons of solid timber/laminate/bamboo and any other type of floor board? Also what would i expect to pay per meter for each type? I keep hearing that bamboo and laminate are soft and mark easy is that correct? I have seen some floating floors that look great and are tough and others are not. We have 2 young kids so need something that wont damage to easy. I knwo solid timber is probablty the best but i presume is also very expensive. We also want to avoid having quads after the floor is layed but im worried if they lay a floating floor to early the tradies might damage it , any suggestion or advise will be great, cheers john Re: pros and cons for solid timber v laminate/bamboo 2Sep 22, 2011 4:45 pm Laminate is pretty good these days and very cost effective. Solid timber can be horrendously expensive and they all will mark and dent over time although the KD hardwood is much more durable. The floating floors can be laid at the end without quads so long as the fix-out carpenters are instructed to 'soft fix' the skirtings to the walls. That way the floor contractor can easily remove them, lay the floor then fix the skirtings back to the wall over the top. This is a pretty effective solution as you are right, the quads are pretty ordinary. Builders are people too.... Re: pros and cons for solid timber v laminate/bamboo 3Sep 22, 2011 4:51 pm Hi Donuts, We went round and round in circles with the flooring and ended up with Vinyl Planks... (not that I am pushing them at all!!!) If I had my choice and money wasn't a factor I would have chosen solid timber floors laid by a carpenter. My friends laid laminate a couple of yrs ago and they seem to have the edges raising up where water has sat. it seems to make it bubble. Also there are gaps, over the last couple of years, the boards seem to have shifted?? But you can buy laminate for $20 a sqm, so cost wise, nothing comes close. I think hardwood bamboo is in the same boat as solid timber floors. I have never been a fan of plastic products, like vinyl planks, but at $70 a sqmt(at wholesale) laid, and made in Perth, (low emissions on product transport) I ended up with Vinyl planks. Have fun Building with Life$tyle Homes in Perth SOR Key Dates on First Page of my Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=38761 Re: pros and cons for solid timber v laminate/bamboo 4Sep 23, 2011 12:25 am I like my wood floors. They just look really classy. They do require a lot of care though. Re: pros and cons for solid timber v laminate/bamboo 5Sep 23, 2011 10:00 pm 2 young kids............try concrete i have jarrah boards on joists and marble in another part of my house. after 2 years of my son pushing cars, trucks, excavators etc over the floorboards i am considering having them recoated. the stone also needs a buff after all the sand he has run in from the sandpit. kids are a pain in the a**e when it comes to floors, though i wouldnt trade them for the best looking floor in town. i am currently helping my dad reno a unit. we picked up strand woven bamboo and a good underlay for $45m2. installing it as a floating floor, we are so impressed with the finish he is considering putting it in his own house. time will tell as to its performance after a tenant beats it around. if your handy lay a floating prefinshed floor. the good ones have numerous coats on them. cost me $30m2 alone to have my jarrah polished so $45 for bamboo prefinished is great for the $$ spent. Re: pros and cons for solid timber v laminate/bamboo 6Sep 23, 2011 11:43 pm Most builders are now including laminates as std- this is probably because they are cost effective solution. We are renting now and have laminates. When we moved in this was a brand new apartment. Its been 3 years now overall the look is still good. Though there are some places which now look like edges have come up and at some places there are large crevices (corners). Started seeing this just after 2 years. If you have the money then go for for the real timber (more maintenance but highly durable) otherwise laminate is not a bad option either. 26/2 - Sales 23/3 - Colours 31/3 - Tender 14/4 - Contract 7/5 - Taps 12/6 - Site start 15/6 - Slab 27/6 - Frame 1/8 - Lockup/Fixing 29/9 - PCI 25/10 - Handover Re: pros and cons for solid timber v laminate/bamboo 7Sep 25, 2011 8:38 am Hi What sort of house did you lay your vinyl planks in, eg on a concrete slab? I have a timber house on stumps and would like the planks. Would you plse check out my post. Listed under Zarda. Would like your opinon, esspecially if you have a house on stumps or know of any one. Lisa sheznay Hi Donuts, We went round and round in circles with the flooring and ended up with Vinyl Planks... (not that I am pushing them at all!!!) If I had my choice and money wasn't a factor I would have chosen solid timber floors laid by a carpenter. My friends laid laminate a couple of yrs ago and they seem to have the edges raising up where water has sat. it seems to make it bubble. Also there are gaps, over the last couple of years, the boards seem to have shifted?? But you can buy laminate for $20 a sqm, so cost wise, nothing comes close. I think hardwood bamboo is in the same boat as solid timber floors. I have never been a fan of plastic products, like vinyl planks, but at $70 a sqmt(at wholesale) laid, and made in Perth, (low emissions on product transport) I ended up with Vinyl planks. Have fun Standard uninsulated double brick has an R value of around 0.7. An insulated standard 90mm stud timber frame can have an R value of around 2.7. Even if you insulate a… 17 12035 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15907 If this is a custom build then I would expect the builder to set out the door frame closer to the wall to avoid the gap between architrave and the wall and or specify… 9 8306 |