Style Secrets: How to Choose Timber Flooring

Do you know the difference between engineered wood, laminate or hybrid timber flooring? Join us as we reveal our step-by-step guide to picking the right wood floor.

Pets, parties, kids and quite possibly the odd scooter or pram – your flooring needs to stand up to a lot. So whether you want it to act as a neutral backdrop or a standout feature in your home, it’s important to choose a material that’s up to the job.

For warmth and durability, nothing beats a timber floor. With its earthy tones, it’s also a great way to introduce colour, and provides the perfect base for a range of decorative schemes, whether your look is contemporary, coastal or uber-contemporary. Want to soften the look in a social spot such as the living or dining room? Easy, simply add a floor rug!

At Carlisle, we offer timber and timber-look floors in a range of different materials and tones – pop over to Spectra Online to see all the options. And to help streamline your selection process, here’s a rundown of the various materials and what works best where. 

Engineered timber floors

An engineered timber floor provides a timeless and natural foundation in a room. It feels warmer underfoot than tiles (great for those cooler months) and will age gracefully over time. Made up of a layer of real hardwood veneer over a supporting board, engineered timber is more affordable than solid timber, easier to install, more stable and comes in more colour options.

An engineered timber floor sets a wonderfully warm and welcoming tone in your entry and open-plan living area. Make a statement with a herringbone- or chevron-patterned engineered timber floor, like we’ve done in our Montpellier Grand 54 home at Smiths Lane in Clyde North.

Install engineered timber in your master bedroom to evoke a sophisticated, organic feel or use it to add timeless charm to your kitchen (you’ll also find it’s more forgiving than tiles when it comes to the odd dropped piece of crockery!). Step inside the kitchen of our Rothwell 33 home at Aurora Estate, Wollert to see just how beautiful it can look.

With its distinct knots and grains, every engineered timber floor has a truly unique look, bringing a one-of-a-kind beauty to your home. At Carlisle, we have a range of gorgeous engineered timber floors for you to choose from, including warm oak, rich timber tones and weathered styles, in both patterns and planks.

Laminate floors

Love the look of real timber but not the upkeep hassles? Consider a hardwearing timber-look laminate floor.

Laminate flooring is super durable, easy to clean and stain- and wear-resistant, making it an ideal choice for homes with children and pets, as well as high-traffic spots such as entries, hallways and open-plan living spaces. It won’t fade or lose its colour, so you also don’t have to worry about it losing its good looks in sunny rooms. Bear in mind, however, that laminate flooring isn’t water-resistant so you won’t want to install it in wet rooms such as a bathroom or laundry.

The latest laminate floors don’t just replicate the look of timber, but the texture of the knots and grains too, giving you the feel of real wood underfoot. 

At Carlisle, we offer a range a beautiful wood-look laminate floors, including blonde timber, dark and dramatic timber looks and weathered grey for a coastal aesthetic.

Hybrid floors

If you want the look of a timber floor in a room that’s prone to moisture, a water-resistant hybrid floor is a great option.

Made up of multiple layers topped with a thick, sealed surface, a hybrid floor is more water-resistant than a real hardwood floor, making it ideal for wet rooms such as bathrooms, laundries and kitchens.

As it’s also easy to clean, impact-, stain- and scratch-resistant, it works a treat in other busy parts of your home too, such as hallways and family living rooms.

We’ve got hybrid floors in over 20 warm and cool timber tones at Carlisle, with styles to suit different decorative schemes, from elegant and rustic through to contemporary. You’ll be spoilt for choice!