Archive for July, 2011

Timber: The world’s only truly renewable building material; Part 2.

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Out of all building products, timber has the lowest embodied energy, meaning that low amounts of energy are used in production, transportation and distribution of products, including timber flooring. When compared to other flooring covers, such as carpet and tiles, timber stands out, showing a marked difference and significantly lower embodied energy rating.

In comparison to imported hardwoods, the native, Australian varieties speak even louder when it comes to benefits to the environment. Harvesting and manufacturing comes at a local level, meaning less shipping and less fossil fuel required for transportation.

 

One of our recycled timber samples

In addition to these factors, timber is a recyclable material and if thrown into landfill, is biodegradable. Timber can also be remanufactured into new products, including our very own range of recycled timber floors, made from old fences, heritage building sites and basically anything that gives that unique look.

 

Recycled timber sample No. 2.

Information supplied by Timber Floors Magazine, Australian Timber Flooring Association and Boral Timber.

Timber: The world’s only truly renewable building material; Part 1.

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

 

Timber is natural, sustainable, renewable, recyclable. No other floor covering or building material boasts such properties. And with the common perception that cutting down trees is a detriment to the environment, I’m here to propose the opposite.

Forests play a crucial role in the carbon cycle, filtering air and taking carbon molecules away from carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen back into the air we breathe.

In Australia alone, forests convert over 30 million tonnes of CO2 every year and currently store more than 10 billion tonnes of carbon. In any wooden product, including timber floors, carbon is stored. It is only released into the atmosphere when the timber eventually biodegrades or is burnt.

Younger trees grown in plantations absorb carbon much faster than older forests and are therefore more efficient air filters and carbon reservoirs. Aging forests have less of an impact on climate change than these re-growth forests.

And only 1% of Australian forests are plantations that are used for harvesting. On top of this, less than 1% of that 1% is harvested each year.

Overall, forest coverage is growing at a much faster rate than harvesting.

To be continued….

Information supplied by Timber Floors Magazine, Australian Timber Flooring Association and Boral Timber.

Timber Floors in the 21st Century

Monday, July 4th, 2011

With a change in living conditions, timber floors play a vital role in keeping up with housing trends. No longer do we have homes being built with one long corridor and individual rooms branching off to the sides. Instead, we are finding more and more homes with open-plan living, meaning that a continuity of floor covering can create a dramatic appearance.

Timber floors no longer need to be destined only for hallways and lounge rooms and it is a common misconception that timber floors can’t be found in kitchens. With such new technology and advancements being made every day, coatings allow for kitchen floors to be made of timber. Common spills can easily be wiped up and lino or other coverings need not be the only answer!

Wide boards are especially great at creating depth within a room and are the latest look for new properties. And any fears that timber can’t be used in apartments is simply a myth. Acoustic underlay is fitted underneath the flooring so as to create sound insulation from your property to the property below. We have samples to show you how this can work – all you need to do is contact body corporate to seek permission.

Even stairways are made of timber nowadays and carpet no longer need to cover all upstairs bedrooms plus the stairs, only to stop at the bottom of the staircase. We specialise in timber stairways, which create special points of interest in homes.

So contact us today and we’ll help you create that star of a property you’ve always dreamt of.

Timber stairs in progress