Engineered Timber

Engineered timber flooring is real timber, built smarter. Instead of a single solid plank, it's made from a genuine hardwood top layer — a 3mm veneer in our range — bonded to a stable multi-ply core. You get the exact look, grain and feel of a real timber floor, because the surface is real timber, but the layered construction underneath makes it far less prone to the gapping and cupping that affects solid boards.

At 15mm thick it feels solid and premium underfoot, and the real-wood surface can be sanded back once and refinished down the track to bring it up like new — something you simply can't do with a printed hybrid or laminate. It's the closest thing to a solid timber floor without the seasonal movement.

The big reason is simple: it's real timber. If you want the genuine warmth, grain and character of a natural hardwood floor, engineered timber delivers it in a way hybrid and laminate — as good as they look — can't quite match. It's the premium, designer end of the range.

It's also more stable than a solid timber board. The multi-ply core resists the expansion and contraction that makes solid floors gap and cup, so you get the real-timber look with less of the movement. And because the 3mm hardwood surface is genuine wood, it can be sanded back once and refinished years later to refresh the floor rather than replace it — a real point of difference at this end of the market.

Engineered timber is for anyone who wants a real timber floor and the look and feel that comes with it. If you're renovating a home where the floor is a feature, or you simply want the genuine article rather than a timber look-alike, this is the range to be in. It suits living areas, bedrooms and formal spaces beautifully.

It's a premium floor, and it's backed accordingly — ours carries a 25-year residential warranty, so you've got real peace of mind it's built to last. Just keep in mind it's real timber, so it's happiest in dry, everyday living spaces rather than wet rooms.

Engineered timber sits at the premium end of our range, and for good reason — it's the only floor here with a genuine hardwood surface. That does come with a couple of honest trade-offs: it costs more than hybrid or laminate, and as real timber it's more sensitive to moisture. Here's where each option pulls ahead.

If toughness and scratch resistance top your list, laminate has the edge. If you need a floor that shrugs off water in kitchens and laundries, hybrid is the safer pick — and both hybrid and laminate come in cheaper. But if it's the genuine look and feel of real timber you're after, and a floor you can sand back and refresh years down the track, nothing else in the range compares.

How you install engineered timber depends on the range. Some of our boards are click-lock and float over the subfloor like a hybrid or laminate floor, which puts them within reach of a confident DIYer. Others are designed to be glued down to the subfloor for the most solid feel underfoot — and that's generally a job best left to a professional. It's worth deciding which you're going with before you order.

Whichever way you go, preparation does the heavy lifting. The subfloor needs to be clean, dry and level, and because this is real timber, it's important to check subfloor moisture and let the boards acclimatise in the room before laying — timber needs time to settle to its surroundings. If you're floating a click-lock range, lay a good acoustic underlay underneath; if you're gluing down, the boards bond straight to the prepared subfloor with no underlay.

From there it's a case of working across the room, keeping an expansion gap around the edges, and finishing with your trims. Take your time on the prep and the rest follows.

As a premium, real-timber floor, engineered sits above hybrid and laminate on price — and the better the timber and the finish, the more it costs. As a guide, the product itself runs from around $80 to $150 per square metre, with wider boards, nicer grades and herringbone lays sitting toward the top of that range.

If you're having it professionally installed, expect the total to land somewhere around $150 to $200 per square metre including the product, depending on the complexity of the job — a straightforward floating floor sits at the lower end, while a glue-down or herringbone install takes more time and skill. As always, factor in floor levelling if your subfloor needs it.

Because the surface is real timber, engineered flooring has a natural depth and variation you can't fake — no two boards are exactly alike. Our range runs from pale, light-washed looks through to warm neutrals and richer, deeper tones, so you can land anywhere from bright and Scandi to warm and classic.

If you want the floor to be a genuine feature, a herringbone lay turns real timber into something special — a designer look that suits both period homes and modern builds. Wider, longer planks read calm and contemporary, while herringbone adds pattern and character. As always, order a couple of free samples and look at them in your own room; real timber especially can shift in tone depending on the light.