Confused about timber flooring/benchtop choices...help!!!

5 years ago

We are building a new home and would like to put timber flooring in the large living/dining/ kitchen area. The kitchen cupboards will be charcoal and the bench top timber, one whole wall is floor to ceiling glass so there is plenty of light. We love the colour of spotted gum but don't like the stripy look it can give and were thinking of blackbutt or grey box. Can anyone please help with a suggestion for flooring? Also, should the timber bench top match the floor or should the timber furniture e.g. coffee table, dining table, match the bench top and be darker than the floor ? Thanks in advance for help we are so confused.

Featured Answer

siriuskey

5 years ago

In my experience timbers work beautifully together, the following is by Modscape

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Comments (11)

PRO
Paul Di Stefano Design
5 years ago
yes this can be confusing. My advice is start with the dominant aspects and work sequentially down to the lesser priority or more flexible aspects. Usually we get the flooring resolved first and then work up/balance/adjust decisions from that point. I think you are at risk of getting a timber overload. Timber flooring is a timeless choice. A more even look/grain timber floor finish you may like to consider is an engineered oak and this can come in various tones. If you are already locked into timber furniture and it depends upon the style/tone etc you may need to consider contrasting the furniture with a flooring choice. It is challenging trying to get 3 different types of timbers to work together in the same space. Ideally you only have one and it's balanced but if you do two then probably best to achieve some differentiation between at least the flooring and the rest. You may want to consider changing the bench top to help balance it all out. It may be a good idea for you to engage an interiors consultant to help you work through the decision process because it is not straightforward and can be difficult to visualise to achieve good balance. Hope this helps Cheers PD :)
freewillie14
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi Paul, Thanks so much for your advice, it is much appreciated! I was also worried about timber overload but was hoping a large rug under the lounge area, black dining chairs with a timber table in the dining area and a bench top (large) which is timber with grey essastone on the work/ sink area may break it up a bit. Do you think this will be enough or do you still think it may be a recipe for disaster!! Also, is there a reason you have suggested engineered floorboards over solid timber?
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PRO
Timber Floors Pty Ltd
5 years ago
A Spotted Gum timber floor is a fabulous choice in timber flooring, provided the flooring is sourced from mature trees this lends to beautiful grain and colour tones. I just added a couple of photos of a job we did with grey colour tones in the kitchen. Hope this helps - very rarely will someone change their timber floor but kitchens do get changed from time to time.
PRO
Paul Di Stefano Design
5 years ago
it's honestly hard to comment without fully assessing/seeing elements in context but I think what the above picture demonstrates is how timber on timber can clash if not managed/balanced carefully. It depends on the specific timber chosen and then how it is balanced/complimented by the other aspects. Spotted gum as seen in is such a distinctive feature that arguably it needs space and simplicity with the supporting elements to work the best. Engineered Oak I suggested due to the capacity and options available for fine-tuning from a finish/colour point of view, and it's going to be more sympathetic/even in look to work with other "busier" aspects. It depends upon the design and proportion to be able to comment as to whether it's going to work or not. When you mix bench top materials on islands generally it needs to be done with confidence and purpose say for an interesting design/balancing reason.
PRO
MKG Interior Design
5 years ago

Spotted gum is beautiful, in this photo the floor is spotted gum and the joinery facing the outside of the island is also spotted gum. You can choose a specific grade of timber to limit colour variation if this is not to your taste.

My preference is not to match timber perfectly, otherwise everything end up looking a bit flat and there is no distinction between floor, joinery or furniture.

I usually start with the largest component of a room and work from there, so flooring, joinery, wall colour, furniture. Start with the permanent components and make sure that you are happy with the basics before you move onto furniture and decor.
freewillie14
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you so much everyone for your expert help, you have given me great advice and lots to think about!
PRO
Timber Floors Pty Ltd
5 years ago
If you are after a durable and stable timber floor then Spotted Gum is superior to an engineered floor. But there are many others like Turpentine, Blackbutt, Brush Box, Mahogany to name a few. Having said that the installation process for both are completely different. The longest lasting timber flooring system is Australian Hardwoods installed over Hardwood Battens. Having been in timber flooring in Sydney for over 57 years our experience with trying different products always brings us back to Australian Hardwoods. Selecting a grade of timber does not translate into colours it is merely the quality of the timber board ie in the imperfections of nature - Select Grade has less gum vein and grub marks than say Standard Grade - however if you choose a commercial named grade then you get whatever the suppliers offers in their own grading. Oh and by the way be aware that many imported products are products with Formaldehyde which is toxic. But I agree with Paul if you are after uniformity then you need to go with an engineered product, the beauty of hardwoods lies in the variation so that no two timber floors will be exactly the same. Hope this helps a little more - being a tradesman we do not necessarily base our choices on colours but rather performance of the timbers which varies from species to species.
freewillie14
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for sharing all your knowledge! We love timber and all its variation and ranges of colour but it is a large area to be covered and it would drive us crazy to see a beautiful floor with a few white boards in among the darker ones. Having said that we a still leaning towards timber flooring rather than engineered flooring. We will keep your information in mind and go back to the showroom to look at the different varieties of timber. Thanks again for your help!!
PRO
Paul Di Stefano Design
5 years ago
yep but they need to be differentiated/contrast sufficiently
freewillie14 thanked Paul Di Stefano Design
Michelle b
last year
I have the same issues. i would love to see how it turned out!

Confused about timber flooring/benchtop choices...help!!!

siriuskey

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Confused about timber flooring/benchtop choices...help!!!

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