At what stage of living in a house do you make a conscious decision about changing the look of the floors? Is it when you have ordered yet another carpet clean? Is it when you have had pets inside the house and the carpets just can’t handle it anymore, not the poo, animal vomit nor the ingrained pet hair? When do you decide that the house really needs freshening up, a complete change over, and that timber flooring is the best way to go?

Cool Living

If you live in the hottest and driest state in Australia, the West, then doing all you can to keep cool without using too much energy, read air conditioning, becomes of paramount importance. Wooden flooring does not retain the heat as much as a carpet. Clean lines and that feeling of ‘open’ is a result of installing wooden flooring and doing away with carpets.

Cold Feet

If you’re still a bit of a softie when it comes to getting out of the bed on a winter’s morning, and think even wooden flooring is too cold for your tootsies, then for heaven’s sake, buy a rug or small mat on which to put your feet when you swing them out from under the covers. Have your slippers handy. If you look at some photos in Better Homes and Gardens you will see that some beautifully designed rugs look positively great on wooden flooring.

What Types?

This is the biggest decision you will have to make regarding the style, type, and material you can choose from for your new wooden flooring.

• Natural Timbers – Jarrah, Karri, WA Blackbutt, NSW Blackbutt, Marri, French oak, American oak, Oregon, and Compressed Bamboo are just a few of the different types of wood. Your final pick will depend on budget and the look you want to achieve.
• Laminate Flooring – this choice is good for you if you’re budget conscious. Laminate is very hardwearing, there are many look-like-timber styles, it’s easy to clean and doesn’t need a lot of maintenance.
• Engineered Timber Boards – these are constructed by applying a hard timber veneer to ply wood. This type of flooring is very quick and easy to install and because the veneer is already polished and ready for use, there is no other preparation, like sanding or coating with a protective finish needed after it has been laid.

Leave it to the Pros

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can lay a wooden floor over a weekend with a few mates followed by a BBQ and a couple of beers. Unless of course you are a truly experienced DIYer who knows how to cut mitre angles quickly and accurately. By calling in a professional flooring company, you can leave the house and go out shopping, brunch and lunch with friends, come home in the late afternoon and the transformation of your house when you get home will amaze you. Always leave it to the pros. Less stress, and a far better result is guaranteed.