Ahoy, me hearties! We be navigating the Home Show seas in search of the finest timber flooring!
The Home Show sets sail to four cities showcasing hundreds of exotic timber flooring sourced from all around the world.
We walk the plank with six exhibitors to test each flooring’s sturdiness, style and craftsmanship.
Euroak
French oak
Ahh, le pièce de résistance! French oak is considered one of the most exquisite trees available. It’s no wonder the French store their world-class wine in oak barrels. With a high tannin count, it tends to age very well, giving it a rustic time-worn look.
Euroak took to the show floor with their Aussie take on French oak. Called ‘Engineered Flooring’, their 15mm panels are layered with 5mm oak and multilayer ply underneath. The stability of such floor allows it to be installed on a variety of subfloors like concrete.
Unique colours & grains
? Rainbow
? Peacock
?? Japanese Black
⛵️ Boat Shed
? Antique Black
Carpet Call
Worldwide importers
Ken from Carpet Call recounts their humble beginnings, “Originated in Queensland in 1975 by Jim Smith, who is still the Managing Director, and now imports products from all over the world.” Now they have 75 stores in six states Australia wide.
Don’t be fooled by the name, these guys make more than just carpets. If you need hardwood flooring, they will heed the CALL. Australia, NZ, Malaysia, US and Americas; if there’s a wood, they’ve probably got it!
Among the hundreds of timbers on offer, Carpet Call source exotic varieties that you can’t just find anywhere. Jarrah is a red hardwood, part of the myrtle family and endemic to south-west Australia. Mahogany is another reddish-brown timber indigenous to the Americas, one of the most valuable in the world.
Queensland Timber Flooring
Man with a van
This man’s van suspension must be buckling under the weight of hundreds of kilos of hardwood. Yet it’s still chugging after 25 years of delivering timber flooring to the Queensland and New South Wales area.
“We have our warehouse and showroom, but I’m based on the coast where this van is available to visit customers, architects and designers on site. The whole concept is for you to see much larger pieces of wood that are available and talk about the different styles and finishes. It gives you, as a customer, a much better concept of what the floor is going to look like at the end result,” remarked David Jones.
Unique colours & grains
• Spotted Gum
• Red forest gum
• Roasted Peat
• Bordeaux Parquetry Slate
Coswick Timber Flooring
Mosaic
Be floored by the mosaic hardwood designs on offer from Coswick. Some of the most striking patterns and designs come out of this Canadian owned company with factories in Belarus. They take pride in the manufacturing process with end-to-end control of sawmills, kiln dryers and UV finishing lines.
Chevron ⦚⦚⦚
The 17th-century invention from France where each zig and zag connect at a 45-degree angle. Once fit for palaces, now they can be installed at home.
Parquetry ?
Interweaving lattice shapes; the Celtic design is splashed with hardware oil to accentuate the grain texture.
Mosaics ?
Geometric shapes that look like 3d cubes. The trippy patterns are sure to trip you up on the way to the kitchen.
Uniblock ?
Shiniest variety fit for ice skating in socks. The shine is derived from the heavy-duty lacquer CosNanoTech+, CosNanoTech+matte and Silk-Oil. The simple square shapes provide perfect thermal and sound insulation.
Bosch Timber Floors
Solid Timber
“One very important thing to understand is each timber will look very different. Depending on whether you’ve got a water-based coating, a mix system or a full solvent coating that really brings the colour out” explained Richard Catlin of Bosch Timber Floors.
Four-time Australian Timber Floor Association (AFTA) award winners; Bosch Timbers know wood. Richard is a testament to this knowledge and skillset. As he walks us around the stand, he shares the complexities of the various grades of timber, their popularity and distinct colours.
Unique colours & grains
• Tallowood
• Blackbutt
• Brushbox
• Spotted gum
To round out his selection, Richard presented hybrid flooring. It’s 100% waterproof recycled timber that provides an ideal entry-level product. The product is engineered with quality hardwood, yet the only difference is the 3mm ply ‘wear layer’ inside that provides stability while keeping costs down.
Wild River Timber Flooring
Large cuts
Anthony from Wild River looks like a dwarf standing next to the selection of timber boards on the stand.
“Elephant Skin is very popular for coastal areas. It’s got the random saw marks through the boards and whitewash with the brown undertones.” He remarked.
The 220mm wide panels are constructed with a variety of profiles and finishes produced with quality craftsmanship.
Classic ?
Hand-oiled, multi-plywood base that ensures longevity and stability
Herringbone ⦚⦚⦚
Century-old patterned design bringing a vintage feel to the home
Endeavour ??
300 – 400-year-old recycled French Oak bonded onto an engineered multi-plywood base
Artisan range ?
Extreme colour varieties including espresso oak, Hotham oak, coastal oak and chalet oak