Gone are the days of your bathroom walls and splashbacks shamelessly matching the floors. Decorators throughout Melbourne have decided to usher out terrazzo and embrace Well-Built Australian Hardwood with open arms. Just look at Gwyneth Paltrow’s engineered hardwoods appearance in Australia’s Vogue Home.

Wooden floors add a warmth and earthy vibrance to homes and spaces that tiles just can’t. They’re scuff-resistant, retain heat well, and go with almost any texture and colour. Plus, they’re almost always in style.

We reckon that the comeback of the light and airy Scandi and Japendi interior design movement is sure to last: now more than ever, Australians yearn for calm homes with a touch of flair to offset the outside world’s happenings. Preferably, ones with gorgeous, trendy timber floors.

How does one incorporate wooden floors into their home when tiles upend it? Moreover, can you do it yourself, what steps are involved, and most importantly.., is it worth it?

Saying Goodbye to Tiles

Before bidding your tired porcelain adieu, consider the sort of flooring you would like your house to don. There are numerous varieties of hardwood to choose from, from Herringbone to Vogue and Classic Oak to Big Board.

Tile Conditions

Additionally, you should be sure to check out the present state of your tiles. They should all be in one piece and firmly attached to the subfloor. If they’re at all cracked or tried to make a run for it, replace them.

The same goes for the subfloor, which should be solid and structurally sound. Look for sagging and unevenness, mould, rot, pest damage, or nail popups. If the damage is extensive, you might have to replace the whole thing.

Fingers crossed!

Moisture Levels

Yep, moisture levels are another thing that dictates the success of your timber flooring endeavours. If there’s too much moisture, your floors will probably warp or rot, and you’ll have to replace them, or worse…hang your head in defeat as you dawdle across the porcelain you just banished.

Usually, you’ll need to buy a moisture meter, humidity gauge, or moisture sensor strips to get a good idea of what you’re dealing with. You can also check for condensation in windows and walls or discolouration or mould. If you want to be 100% sure, enlist the help of a professional.

Preparation Is Key

Now that you’re absolutely sure your subflooring and tiles are good to go, give them a good clean with a detergent before slapping on a levelling compound. Levelling compounds are self-drying, cementitious mixtures that can be applied to uneven or damaged surfaces to level them out. You should also install a moisture barrier and be sure to choose a good underlayment– a crucial step in the installation process.

Levelling Compounds

There are three types of compounds you’ll have to choose from: self-levelling, which freely flows and levels itself, manual levelling compounds; requiring manual spreading and levelling, and fast-drying compounds; good for quick jobs. When choosing between these, take the type of flooring, its thickness, and drying time needed into account.

If you don’t want to muck up your floors, it’s a good idea to ask someone who knows what they’re doing, or risk making an expensive mistake. We help with floor levelling, so you don’t have to deliberate on what compound to buy.

Moisture Barriers

If your space is more moist than the average space, consider installing a moisture barrier. This will protect against rot and warping. The cheapest and most common moisture barrier is plastic sheeting (polyethene or vapour barrier). Lay it directly on the subfloor, ensuring it overlaps and is securely fastened. Melbourne isn’t too humid, so a light barrier should be okay. Consult with an expert to be sure.

Make sure everything is clean, dry, and in one piece before you install anything. It’s also a good idea to check that your barrier of choice is in line with local building codes and regulations.

Underlayment

Underlayment is integral to installing wooden floors over tiles. Unless you would like noisy, moist, and cold rooms, we recommend that you consider underlayment. It helps level the floor by reducing squeaking and unevenness, reduces noise transmission, offers energy transmission and comfort with its insulation properties, and can sometimes act as a moisture barrier.

You can choose from foam, cork, rubber, and membrane underlayment. Remember that its thickness will affect the overall height of the floor. Think about your budget and whether noise, less moisture, and the other properties of each membrane are most important to you. If you need help deciding, you can always give us a bell.

A Reno to Remember

Now that all the preparation is done, it’s time to install your wooden floors! There are two ways to install timber floors: floating and adhesive installation. Floating flooring is installed by clicking the timber planks together, whereas adhesive flooring uses adhesive to glue wooden flooring directly to the tiles.

Floating Floors

You’ll need to click the floors together differently depending on the sort of pattern they have. Herringbone would click together differently than Vogue, for instance. They’ll click together using a locking system.

Start from a corner and work your way across the room, making sure all the planks are aligned and secure. Trim the final plank to fit the space, and ta-dah! You’ve installed floating wooden floors!

Many Aussies opt for floating floors because of their ease of installation and removal, making them ideal for indecisive or rental properties. They also don’t damage tiles, since they don’t use adhesive.

Adhesive Floors

Start by using an adhesive suitable for timber planks and applying it to the back of each plank. Start from a corner and press the first plank firmly into place, then apply adhesive to the next plank and make sure it aligns with the next one, making sure everything aligns. Continue this until you reach the end, trimming the last plank so everything fits nicely.

Adhesive floors are generally more stable and less likely to move or squeak. They can be quieter than floating floors because they’re directly attached to the tiles.

Wood You Love Timber Floors?

As you’ve read, installing timber flooring over tiles can be quite an ordeal. It involves potentially replacing subflooring, choosing levelling compounds, moisture barriers, and underlayment, and deciding whether you’ll install it with an adhesive or leave it floating.

All of this can seem truly intimidating, especially if you’re not a flooring or hardware expert. Let our flooring gallery help you.

Premium Flooring Gallery is a Melbourne-based family business with years of experience in the industry. We’ve dreamed up solutions to fit every budget with our knowledge of industry best–practices and market contacts.

We would love to help you get the wooden flooring look that you yearn for. Contact us today!