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Timber Species
Choosing which species of timber for your particular application is very much a matter of personal preference, depending upon personal taste and the effect you wish to create. Like so many other facets of life, the result will often depend on the amount of study and research that goes into your decision. There is really no substitute for "looking around" when trying to decide which timber to use.
As always, samples are a guide to colour, and also, to a lesser extent the gloss level and characteristics of the finish coating. However in both cases they do not compare with seeing a finished floor of that particular type. 'How?' you ask. Well admittedly travelling round visiting other peoples homes is not to every persons liking, but what about looking at floors in other buildings, resturaunts, clubs, dance halls? Timber is very versatile as a flooring material, and can be found almost everywhere, so think about where you might expect to find timber floors. Chances are if you spot a timber you like in a public building, it will look even better when freshly finished in your particular project. Talk to people. Ask friends, relations, builders, other tradesmen. Your floor finishing contractor can probably recommend a number of public buildings in your area where you can go to look.
Remember too that timber floors themselves come in all shapes and sizes. Tongue and grooved boards can be laid directly onto the floor joists of a building, where most other options, parquetry or cork for example, require the joists to be covered with structural floor sheeting to provide a base to lay on. Unless they are being used on a concrete floor, which will need to be very flat and smooth, with a moisture content not exceeding 6 percent
If you know of a timber species you would like to use but do not see it listed here, talk to us!
Ash
Alpine Eucalyptus Delegatensis
Light creamy brown,sometimes pinky heartwood, sapwood almost white, grain
straight.
One of the softer hardwoods, this timber can be very even in colour and
grain pattern
Silvertop Eucalyptus Sieberiana
Light brown colored heartwood, sometimes with pink tints, narrow sapwood
not easily distinguishable. Grain occasionally interlocked.
Much closer grained and harder than its alpine cousin
Blackbutt
Eucalyptus Pilularis
Light brown colored heartwood, sapwood is usually distinguishable, grain
usually straight with small gum veins a common feature.
Often, this timber is a more creamy color, without a prominent grain pattern.
Ironbark
(Red) Eucalyptus Fibrosa
Dark red colored heartwood, sapwood yellowish, grain usually interlocked,
moderately fine texture.
The grand master of Australian hardwoods, this timber has a deep rich
color, and is very hard wearing
Spotted Gum
Eucalyptus Maculata
Light to dark brown colored heartwood, the sapwood distinctively paler,
grain often interlocked, and with very attractive "fiddleback"
Without doubt, the wavy grain pattern is an attractive feature of this
timber.
Stringybark
(Yellow) Eucalyptus Muellerana
Light yellow brown heartwood, moderately coarse texture, grain sometimes
interlocked.
This timber has a nice range of colors, and sometimes features it's own
"shattered" grain pattern, quite distinctive.
Blue Gum (Sydney)
Eucalyptus Saligna
Pink to red colored heartwood with sapwood distinctively paler, grain
is usually straight, moderately coarse texture, gum veins quite common.
The range of rich colours in this timber ensures plenty of interest in
the floor when laid and polished.
Blue Gum (Tasmanian)
This timber is amongst the harder Eucalypts used in the flooring trade. it is also represented among the lighter colored timbers in that range, having a pleasing variety of the cream tones together with light brown (fawn) boards
Woolybutt
Eucalyptus Longifolia
Red colored heartwood, moderately fine texture, grain usually interlocked.
Woolybutt can sometimes be confused with Ironbark, but has more interlocking
grain characteristics, and is often a paler pinky tone.
European Oak
Quercus…………
There are hundreds of species of timber loosely grouped under this common
name. They tend to be lighter in color, creams and greys and most show
the classic grain pattern, with rays prominent on
the quarter sawn face. A fairly hard timber, though not to be compared
with our harder Eucalypts, it is a recognised flooring timber nevertheless
Tallowood
Eucalyptus Microcorys
This timber was once prized as the ultimate dance-hall flooring. Of light
yellow to golden brown colour with occasional streaks of grey the timber
often has a greasy feel to it, hence the name 'tallowood'. Sometimes interlocked
grain, otherwise lacking in figure.
Cypress Pine
Callitrus Glauca
Not a true pine, this timber has natural termite-resisting properties,
often used in areas prone to attack from these pests. Cypress has been
a commonly used flooring species, for almost a century, being a big favorite
in homes built following World War II. There seems to have been a huge
range of colours in the material reaching this market in the years 1950-65
giving much more striking patterns to the floors than the even-toned material
we see these days.
Presenting a challenge to the floorfinishing trade cypress is still a
favorite, because of the character and interest of the grain pattern and
knots.
Jarrah
Eucalyptus Marginata
This most versatile timber from West Australia has come into prominence
all over the country as a flooring and deck species. Of dark red-brown
tones it produces a floor of rich color, but not endowed with much grain
pattern, apart from occasional interlocked figure
Coastal Grey Box
Eucalyptus Bosistoana
Avery hard wearing timber, light brown to cream color, with fairly
straight grain pattern, not a common species in use as flooring in recent
years, however a close-grained nice looking timber.
