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There seems to be a lot of conjecture about 'hardness'
Hardness rating: the hardness rating of a timber species is measured by the Janka Test. This is a standard test which measures the penetration into the timber of a common load and projectile. The results relate to a hardness capacity of the material and are expressed in kN. This information is useful where the timber may be subject to potential damage from impacts e.g. a dance floor. There are 2 sets of published figures; one for 'Green' or freshly felled timber and one for seasoned timber - i.e. timber with a moisture content of 12%.
The ratings given here are:
Soft - less than 5.5
Moderate - 5.5 to 7.0
Hard - 7.1 to 10.0
Very Hard - greater than 10.0.
The Janka test in reality means nothing.
It use to be a set weight & size ball bearing dropped from a set height when I did my TAFE block training about 15 years ago.
You drop something from height on Hevea & then do the same to Ironwood which is at the other end of the Janka scale & they are both dented, scratched, damaged.
To me in practical experience it means nothing.
My opinion only, but if you use timber be prepared to baby its whole life.
It will get dented easily, it will scratch easily, it will oxidise & change colour, but thats timber.
Some like it, some don't.
We have NZ Myrtle (Janka 5.9) and it dents and scratches like butter. You only have to look at to make a mark. We were going to have Spotted Gum (Janka 11) , but at the time of need in our new house build the bush fires meant there was no stock for months. Really regret it now.
When buying timber, choose the species of wood or colour palate, the width of the floorboards, installation process and finish.
We are moving into our house soon and have had a quick peak under the old carpet. It is a 1960s built canberra house- anyone know what the timber is/ might be?
The link in this thread doesnt seem to work anymore. Here is another one
http://www.nstimberflooring.com.au/hardwoods-table/And a link to pictures of the different flooring from the same site,
http://www.nstimberflooring.com.au/photo-gallery/
Anyone toying with the idea of a mixed hardwood floor, here is a picture of our floor. We used a 50/50 mix of red and grey ironbark........We are really happy with the outcome, and the layers did a terrific job of mixing it.
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/lynny-jane/home1.jpgAnd this is what it looked like before sanding and polishing (satin finish )
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/lynny-jane/136635bf-edec-4d62-9399-84039518385b.jpg
Thanks for sharing this informative post.
Hi Guys I have attached a photo of my timber flooring. Can any one guess what timber it is?? The reason why am asking you guys to guess is that it come out different to what i thought it should.
The gloss will make the wood darker too...
Hoping I can get some thoughts on the different timbers in regards to flooring.
We have been quoted as having Merbau flooring but I had a chat with our builder today
saying that I wanted a timber without as much red in it, trying to match it with grey tones
in the house. He suggested Blackbutt and that I could have a look at one of the jobs he's just
done so I can get an idea. I'll be doing that but thought I'd come on here and ask for peoples
photos as I know all timber has variances. Any ideas would be great, thanks
Hoping I can get some thoughts on the different timbers in regards to flooring.
We have been quoted as having Merbau flooring but I had a chat with our builder today
saying that I wanted a timber without as much red in it, trying to match it with grey tones
in the house. He suggested Blackbutt and that I could have a look at one of the jobs he's just
done so I can get an idea. I'll be doing that but thought I'd come on here and ask for peoples
photos as I know all timber has variances. Any ideas would be great, thanks
what did you end up going with? We are looking at a grey tone species. looking at spotted gum but just appears a couple of shades too light. Wanted just under a medium brown tone but just cant see anything suitable?
Hi Alcaz,
Unfortunately we had to put our house plans on hold, the real estate market here is terrible and we are having difficulty selling our house. Having said that we may be able to start in about 2 months, fingers crossed so I will be again looking at flooring. I did have a look at the blackbutt flooring on a recent job that our builder did and I found it too pale. I have seen a few Spotted Gum floors and they are really lovely. Wormy Chestnut is another one that I like the look of and American Oak. It will all come down to price aswell. I will be going to have a look at the timbers in a few weeks time so will let you know what I find.
Thanks
Hi Alcaz,
Unfortunately we had to put our house plans on hold, the real estate market here is terrible and we are having difficulty selling our house. Having said that we may be able to start in about 2 months, fingers crossed so I will be again looking at flooring. I did have a look at the blackbutt flooring on a recent job that our builder did and I found it too pale. I have seen a few Spotted Gum floors and they are really lovely. Wormy Chestnut is another one that I like the look of and American Oak. It will all come down to price aswell. I will be going to have a look at the timbers in a few weeks time so will let you know what I find.
Thanks
Good luck with it. Yeah I have an investment property in the hunter struggling a bit - feel your pain. Keep us informed.
Hi all. I just bought a pack of reclaimed floor joists that camevfrom a demolished house in portsea. I bought it as I was inform it was messmate. However as we have started to machine them I dont believe they are messmate. Can anyone norrow done what species they could be. Ie what hardwood was used for joist?
Thoughts and/or photos on spotted gum flooring. I'm still tossing up whether to go the 85mm or 130mm boards? other than personal preference on looks, is one easier to lay than the others? Can they both be secret nailed? will the 85mm look too busy in a large room? TIA
Hi guys, we've recently updated the website, so we've moved the page here
http://www.floormania.com.au/solid-timber-flooring/. Each one has a brochure that you can download
gandn - I have similar questions... Waiting to see if someone answers you...
thanks for sharing this topic about timber flooring.