Alex May
September 28, 2006
They look schmick, but there are tricks you need to know when looking after your timber floors.
Ah, timber floors. They do look lovely, don't they? Rich, warm colours. Easy maintenance. No dust mites to flourish and breed. But - and there's always a but (sometimes a blackbutt) - timber will always expand and contract, no matter how old, beautiful or expensive it is.
Changing moisture levels in the air create gaps in timber. Or worse, force the floorboards to swell and cup. The ear- popping sound of floorboards splitting is one way to discover this.
Friends of mine took great pride sanding back the floorboards of their weatherboard cottage and lacquering the wide, old boards with quick-drying polyurethane.
On a cool night after a hot summer's day, their shiny floorboards did what all good floorboards do: expand and contract. The polyurethane lacquer acted like superglue, holding some of the boards together but splitting at the weakest join between the boards.
"It sounded like our lounge room was exploding," the hapless renovator says. "The next day there were huge gaps between some of the floorboards."
John Bruker, who owns Timber Floors Hardwood Australia, says it takes years of experience, knowledge and installation know-how to attain the holy grail of timber flooring: a stable floor.
"Plenty of people think if they are paying for select-grade timber, it will all be good. But the grading doesn't tell you the maturity of the timber, or where the trees are grown," he says. "And it takes a specialist to install it. Every carpenter thinks they know how to lay a floor, but that's rubbish. You have to understand each situation and house and know the timber before you can lay a floor."
Bruker says houses in Kellyville or Rouse Hill require different installation and timber flooring to houses in Balmain or Walsh Bay. "Kellyville is in the west, what we call the hot house area; the timber will contract and shrink in summer."
Houses without much sub-floor ventilation or the old-style bearers and joists (rather than a modern concrete slab or particle-board floor) require different kinds of timber and installation methods.
Australian hardwoods, such as blackbutt, brush box and spotted gum, are perennially popular. "There are dozens of pretty timbers, but not all of them will make a good floor," says Bruker, who recommends timbers grown in northern NSW. "To grow stable timber for floors you need poor soil and for the tree to be slow-growing and get very little rain to create a dense timber. You won't make good floors out of eight- to 12-year-old trees - it's better if a tree is 50 or 60 years old.
"I stick to Australian timbers because they are the best and are suited to our climate."
Handle with care
* Most timber floor professionals recommend an oil-based finish, which makes it easier to repair scratches. Simply rub oil over scratches and they should disappear.
* Floor sanders often prefer polyurethane finishes, which are quick-dry but can scratch more readily. A satin finish makes the scratches less noticeable. Polyurethane finishes are best for a parquetry floor.
* Engineered timber floors have only a thin coating of natural timber and need careful maintenance if being sanded back for refinishing .
* Keep dirt-trapping mats at the entry and exit points of rooms with timber floors. Grainy dirt is the enemy of the floor finish. Sweep or vacuum regularly.
* Constant air-conditioning, large windows and skylights can affect the stability of a timber floor.
