Anita Trengrove & Ben Heinz | May, 2025
Stability, ease of installation and a range of colours and species
We’ve seen a steady increase in the interest in engineered timber flooring in our showroom. To the extent that almost half of our flooring display has shifted from solid timber flooring to engineered flooring.
Engineered timber flooring has gained popularity owing to its stability, responsible use of timber resources and availability in prefinished options. Barwon Timber offers Australian native, European Oak and Hickory options in engineered flooring.
What is Engineered Timber Flooring?
Engineered timber flooring is a type of flooring made by bonding layers of wood together. Unlike solid timber flooring, which is machined from a single piece of timber; engineered timber consists of multiple layers.
The top layer, known as the lamella (or wear layer) is made from hardwood and the core layers of our engineered flooring are plywood or a sandwich core. A sandwich core is a three layer set up – there’s the top lamella layer, the middle layer is often softwood strips, the bottom layer is the stabilising layer (often poplar veneer).
These layers are glued together in alternating directions. The core construction offers stability and resistance to changes in moisture content – meaning a considerably reduced risk of gapping and cupping.
Types of Wood Used
We offer a range of engineered timber flooring options and display these in our showroom. When you visit us, you can view the following species in various widths.
Australian Natives
- Spotted Gum
- Sydney Bluegum
- Blackbutt
- Brushbox
- Stringybark
- Tasmanian Oak
European Oak
- Available in a range of prefinished textures and colours.
- Available in a variety of dimensions – suitable for any application.
- Available raw and ready to sand and coat.
Hickory
- Available in a range of colours.
The above species available vary in hardness (janka) ratings meaning the wear layer will perform differently.
Advantages of Engineered Timber Flooring from Barwon Timber
Confidence
There are a lot of engineered flooring options available to customers of varying quality. We’ve taken the time to research the flooring, suppliers and manufacturers of the options we offer.
We made our engineered flooring selection based on the quality of the flooring and technical specifications. We take into consideration the core construction, thickness of the wear layer, the tongue and groove profile and coating systems. Barwon Timber partners with experienced and reliable manufacturers. Our engineered flooring is backed by manufacturer warranties for your ease of mind.
Customers can be confident the quality of the engineered flooring from Barwon Timber has been stringently assessed and comes with a manufacturer warranty. Our knowledgeable team can help you make product selections and support during installation.
Durability and Stability
Engineered flooring provides higher dimensional stability than solid flooring. This has made timber flooring more appealing to a wider range of customers who may have been adverse to the risks solid timber flooring presents when not dried, handled and installed correctly.
Keep in mind, similar to a timber floor, engineered flooring will require expansion gaps. Refer to the manufacturer’s installation guide of the selected flooring for expansion size and spacing.
Aesthetic Appeal
Customers visiting our showroom enjoy being able to select from the extensive colour ranges available within our engineered Oak and Hickory ranges. There are also different textures available within some ranges.
To look at, our showroom display of Australian Native range is indistinguishable from our solid timber. Customers looking at the Native engineered range are often seeking the beauty of our hardwoods but value the benefits of an engineered floor.
Ease of Installation
Most of our engineered flooring is prefinished. Prefinished floors remove the need for a floor sander to finish the product.
Our engineered timber flooring options can be installed as a floating floor or glued down. We offer engineered timber flooring in traditional tongue and groove profiles and in modern click systems for easier installation. Engineered flooring is also an option for wall lining.
Engineered flooring comes in set lengths, enabling installers to easily plan board layouts.
Barwon Timber offers a supply and installation service for engineered timber flooring. Talk to our showroom team about combining our engineered timber flooring with carpet. We handle the coordination and trades for the installation of your flooring. Our showroom team becomes your point of contact and handles everything for you.
Environmental Impact
Engineered flooring enables efficient utilisation of hardwoods. The use of multiple layers means that less hardwood is required, reducing the demand for slow-growing tree species. Additionally, the core layers can be made from fast-growing species.
Maintenance and Care
After many years of trial (and error) we maintain our showroom floors by regularly sweeping or vacuuming to remove dust or dirt. We spray Fiddes Wood Cleaner on the floor and use an Enjo floor fibre to pick up residual dust and buff the floor.
Mopping is avoided because, unless the mop head is extremely clean, dirt can become embedded in the timber grain and become very difficult to remove.
Dealing with Scratches and Damage
The lamella layer of an engineered floor will perform similarly to solid timber. Engineered flooring can be scratched and dented. Scratches and discolouration can be touched up with wax timber repair crayons. It’s an artistic process and if you’re not confident attempting a repair there are businesses that specialise in surface repairs.
Where possible, minimise the risk of scratching or damaging the floor. Barwon Timber offers a range of flooring protection products to minimise risk.
Engineered flooring can be re-sanded where it has been adhered to a substrate (ie not floated), however this will alter the appearance and potentially the profile of the floor. A re-sand will remove factory applied coatings, brushing and reduce a bevel profile where boards have this. A re-sand may also void any manufacturer's warranty on the product.
Choosing the Right Engineered Timber Flooring
Visiting the Barwon Timber Showroom
Your flooring choice will have a considerable impact on the aesthetic of your home or build. Barwon Timber's showroom displays a large selection of engineered flooring options.
Our knowledgeable team is available to assist with product selection and provide support throughout the installation and completion of your floor. If you cannot get to our Geelong showroom, contact our team - we can send you samples of some of our options.
Consider the Wear Layer
Within the engineered flooring range at Barwon Timber, we offer options with 3 to 6mm lamella layers in different hardwood species. Thicker wear layers provide more opportunities for refinishing and extend the lifespan of the floor.
Assessing the Core Layers
The secret to the dimensional stability of engineered flooring lies in the core.
Whether it is made of a plywood core with the lamellas alternating in direction or has a three layer setup where each layer (top layer, middle layer and back layer) are going in different directions, the criss-crossing of the different layers provides the increase in dimensional stability of the flooring. This results in less to no gaps compared to a solid flooring during changes in humidity of the environment.
Finishing Options
Engineered timber flooring come in a variety of finishes. Customers can choose from different brushing levels, different colours and different dimensions. Because the floorboards are factory coated, these have a high quality (some with 7 or more layers of coatings) and very high consistency of finishing.
If you can’t find the finish you’re looking for, we can supply unfinished boards to be coated in your preferred option. We can even create your own colour for you.
Lead times
The range of engineered flooring options is considerable. Barwon Timber holds a lot of engineered flooring in stock. For flooring we don’t stock, there are varying manufacturer lead times. Ensure you check with our team that the estimated lead times work with your schedule when making selections.
