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A swing towards environmentally friendly products is fuelling a growing interest in timber flooring, flooring specialists say.
Chris Trudgen, owner of Wellington-based City Timber, who has sold timber flooring for 20 years, says people are becoming more aware of environmental considerations when choosing flooring.
Timber flooring is a premium product, which is also popular for its aesthetic appeal and the character it gives a room, he says. It is also easier to keep clean and dust-free.
The increasing demand for timber flooring is coming mainly from people renovating older homes and architects and designers. “Wooden floors are always popular with architects and designers who tend to put a premium on the colour and texture of flooring and timber flooring offers a wide variety of natural colours and grain patterns.”
Overall, the wide range of imported, exotic and native timbers available for wooden flooring offer a choice of more than 20 shades covering the full spectrum from light to darker tones. A recent addition to the dark wood products is flooring with a burnt, smoky effect.
In new homes, NZ Beech floors are a popular choice with home owners. “NZ Beech ticks all the boxes; it is locally grown, is FSC-certified and looks good too.”
Red Beech.
Another trend is the increasing popularity of engineered timber flooring, long-utilised in Europe, which is made of plywood with a timber veneer. Mr Trudgen says this is because it is a finished product and does not need as much preparation as traditional timber floors.
Paul Cocker owner of Upper-Hutt based Natural Floors, says more owners of older homes are opting to rip off old carpets and preserve existing timber floorboards rather than re-carpet over them.
His company is involved in many home refurbishing projects in Wellington and he has noticed this trend since the early 1990s. “Lately this trend is really taking off,” he says. “People seem to be valuing timber floors more.”
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Tags: Wooden floor
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