Q&A Installing timber floors in an apartment

Q. I live in an apartment and want timber floors but my neighbours won’t let me.

A. New floating floors allow sound-absorbing layers to be placed beneath the floor structure to cut the noise – however plenty of apartments have noise transmission problems that go beyond the click clack sound of echoing timber floors so may still refuse hard floors.Engineered timber floors have been created especially for apartments and townhouses and are a ply of timber veneers glued together and sealed before being laid, so no messy sanding is required. They are a great installation option for apartment owners – but you’ll still need to check if you need strata permission to install them. Engineered floating floors can cost as much as a brand new hardwood floor at more than $100 a square metre. A cheaper option is to purchase the laminated floating floors which look like timber and can start from around $20 a square metre plus installation.

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Pictures: Joanna Henderson