Parquet

Floorboards made of real wood usually run between 90 and 160 a square metre in Sydney. That price tag mostly covers both the planks and the tradies who put them down, so be careful when you find a quote that lists supply but skips the fitting part.

Spotted Gum, Blackbutt, and Ironbark keep popping up in showrooms because they can shrug off Sydney humidity and still look smart. Locals like them, and the trees are common enough that the timber trucks dont have to take long hauls.

Hardwoods burn a hole in the wallet the minute you sign the invoice. Polishing them every year or so becomes a second chore, and scratch marks never go away without a sand-and-recoat party. A loud house can turn the boards into tiny microphones, unless you lay down decent underlay first.

Look after solid boards and they might stick around for thirty, fifty, or even a hundred birthdays. Sanding knocks out dents and lets the grain show fresh again, so the floor really gets younger instead of older.

Most yards buy 19mm solid boards out of habit, but 12mm or 15mm engineered panels have appeared in most big-box stores. Thicker timber gives one or two extra sandings before it vanishes into ghost lines.

Gluing your floor down is pretty popular in Sydneysider pads that see a lot of foot traffic. The bond keeps boards steady so they dont move or squeak. A floating install is quicker, though-you just drop the planks in place. The trade-off is that extra noise when you walk around. 

Spotted Gum and Ironbark tops stand up to jumping kids and clawing pets, especially if you pick a matte or textured finish that hides nicks. Strong-engineered floors with a thick hardwood layer play nice, too, and offer scratch resistance without breaking the bank.

Hardwood names the tree itself-youll hear Blackbutt, Oak, and the like. Solid timber means the whole plank comes from one single chunk of wood. You can also get engineered hardwood, which stacks layers underneath a thin real-wood top and still looks great once its down. 

If durability is the goal, nothing beats Ironbark or Spotted Gum under heavy traffic. An engineered board finished with tough polyurethane or UV-cured coating matches that toughness, so both choices log the years without complaint.

Sure thing, but you first need a good moisture barrier. Some folks then add a plywood underlay, while others go all-in and glue the boards straight down. Engineered planks handle the slab stuff a bit better than solid timber. 

Grab real timber if you want that living-tree look, plan on keeping it for decades, and might flip the house later. Pick laminate if cash is tight, kids keep scratching everything, and you hate fussing over floors. 

Its tiny blocks or strips laid out in eye-catching shapes like herringbone and chevron. Regular timber flooring sticks to those long, straight boards. 

Its definitely still cool; Aussie builders say it keeps popping up because it looks old-school fancy and lets you play with different designs. 

Expect to pay between $130 to $200 a square metre, depending on the wood you choose, the pattern you request, and how gnarly the job site turns out to be. 

Slant cuts like chevron usually pull off that illusion, while dark woods or busy designs can hug the space a bit too tightly.

Yep, a nice parquet floor looks chic and sometimes gets buyers excited, especially in older homes or trendy new builds.

A solid parquet can breeze through 40 to 60 years if you give it a little polish now and then; engineered stuff usually sticks around for 20 to 30.

It sure holds its shape in sticky, salty places like coastal Sydney, while solid timber lasts longer but tends to swell and shrink a lot.

Highs: stays flat, goes down easily over concrete, and looks just like hardwood. Lows: can only be sanded a couple of times and wont live as long as the solid version.

They can last 20–30 years, depending on the top layer thickness and maintenance.

Sometimes, yes, but matte or textured finishes hide those little nicks, and a tough UV-cured coat helps a lot.

You can, but seal every crack; for bathrooms, a totally waterproof floor or a hybrid option is usually the safer bet.

For a floating install you pretty much have to. The thin pad mutes sound, slows cold creep under your toes, and blocks stray moisture. 

Think equal parts vinyl toughness and laminate plank, squished together in one board. The end game is a surface that shrugs off spills and still looks convincingly like wood. 

Yes, totally waterproof. Pet claws havent figured out how to scratch it yet either. 

Plan for $60 to $100 a square metre, price tag already stacked with supply and labour. 

Go ahead, provided the mosaic is flat, tight, and dust-free. A cheap underlay smooths the bumps and hushes the footfall.

Not quite. It can feel plasticky under bare feet, warps in furnace-level heat, and clangs like a drum if you skimp on the pad. 

Hybrid takes the wet-room crown, while laminate gets points for cheaper wow-factor patterns you cant replicate in vinyl.

A sprung timber floor is basically a wood deck that sits on shock-absorbing springs or foam. Schools, dance studios, and indoor courts love it because the give helps keep ankles and knees from yelling after practice. 

Gyms and sports halls usually pick either a sprung timber floor or that tough rubbery vinyl matting. Both options cushion hard landings and let athletes move safely.

Sprung floors beat plain hardwood for just about any sport. They soak up a lot of the thump, so players walk off feeling way less beat up.

Installing a first-rate sprung dance or court floor will hit your wallet for around $180 to $300 per square metre. The final bill wobbles based on what wood or extras are stuffed inside the build.

If you need to hush the thud of boots travelling between apartment levels, soft timber or hybrid boards with a thick acoustic mat work wonders. Add engineered boards draped over sound mats and the racket gets tamed even more.

In a flat, swapping to hybrid or quality timber laid atop a good underlay really cuts foot stomp and chatter drifting downstairs. Look for that AAAC sticker so the strata manager doesnt start complaining.