How to buy Timbo oak in Canberra
Timbo is appointing partners in Canberra. Homeowners can email partnerships@timbo.com.au and we'll put you in touch with a flooring business that can supply and install Prime grade European solid oak floorboards and parquet. ACT builders, retailers and installers can apply to become a partner.
Stock ships from our Melbourne warehouse, and freight to Canberra is quoted per order.
Cold, dry winters change the brief
Canberra has some of the coldest winter nights of any Australian capital, with regular frosts, and hot, dry summers. That gives the city a long heating season, and heated winter air is dry air.
For a solid oak floor, dry air means the timber slowly gives up moisture and shrinks a little, so fine gaps can appear between blocks mid-winter and close again in spring. That's normal for solid timber. What you want to avoid is an installation that starts out too wet, because then the winter shrinkage is much bigger.
How Canberra installers manage it:
- Acclimatise in heating season conditions if the floor is going down in winter – run the home's heating as it will normally be used.
- Measure moisture in the parquet and the slab. Australian interiors typically sit between 8% and 14% equilibrium moisture content, and floors should be laid within about ±2% of the expected in-service figure (WoodSolutions).
- Don't overheat. Very high heating settings exaggerate shrinkage.
See acclimatising oak flooring for the full method.
Underfloor heating
Hydronic and electric in-slab heating is popular in Canberra's new homes. Solid oak can work with it, but it's the most technical installation you can choose. Floor surface temperature is commonly limited to about 27°C with a floor sensor, and engineered floors are generally preferred for heated slabs (Solid Wood Flooring Co). Read oak flooring and underfloor heating before you specify, and talk to Timbo.
New suburbs, townhouses and established Canberra
| Area type | Examples | Typical subfloor |
|---|---|---|
| New greenfield suburbs | Gungahlin's newer estates, the Molonglo Valley (Whitlam, Denman Prospect), Ginninderry | Slab-on-ground |
| Townhouses and apartments | Town centres, light rail corridor | Slab; unit plan or body corporate rules may apply |
| Established suburbs | Inner north and south, Woden, Belconnen | Mix of timber on joists and slab |
In the new suburbs, the slab is the substrate and the main risk is construction moisture; read installing parquet over a concrete slab. In apartments and townhouses, check the owners corporation rules on hard floors and acoustic underlay before ordering.
Older Canberra homes from the 1960s and 70s often have timber floors on joists. A solid parquet floor can be glued over a sound, flat substrate, sometimes after re-sheeting.
Bushfire edge suburbs
Canberra's suburbs back onto nature reserves and pine plantations, and the 2003 fires reached homes on the western edge. Properties near bushland may carry a bushfire attack level (BAL). Under AS 3959, the rules mainly target elevated subfloors and decks rather than internal floors over a slab (WoodSolutions). See timber flooring in bushfire areas.
Fitting the floor into a Canberra build programme
For builders and owner-builders, solid parquet goes in late and needs the house to be ready:
- Lock-up and dry-in. The slab only dries once the house is closed and ventilated.
- Commission heating if there's in-slab heating, then turn it down for installation.
- Slab moisture and flatness test against the adhesive manufacturer's limits.
- Deliver and acclimatise the parquet in the house. Freight from Melbourne is quoted per order; confirm timing with Timbo.
- Install, then sand and finish before other trades return, and protect the floor afterwards.
Canberra builders and flooring businesses
If you build homes in Canberra's new suburbs or sell and install floors across the ACT, Timbo can supply Prime grade European oak at wholesale pricing from Melbourne stock with no container minimums, plus samples and product content for your clients.
Frequently asked questions
Can solid oak parquet go over hydronic or electric underfloor heating?
It can, with limits. Floor surface temperature is commonly capped at about 27°C with a floor sensor, and engineered boards are generally preferred over solid for heated floors. Read oak flooring and underfloor heating and talk to Timbo before specifying solid parquet.
Why does my oak floor gap in winter?
Because Canberra's heated winter air is very dry. Oak gives up moisture and shrinks slightly, then takes it back as the weather warms. Installing at the right moisture content and avoiding overheating keeps the gaps small.
I'm building in a new suburb. When can the oak go down?
When the slab is dry enough for the adhesive system. New slabs hold construction moisture for months, so test rather than rely on the handover date.
Is there a Timbo partner in Canberra?
Timbo is appointing partners in Canberra. Email partnerships@timbo.com.au and Timbo will connect you with a flooring business that can quote your project.
Do bushfire rules affect my flooring?
Possibly, if you're on the bushland edge. AS 3959 mainly covers elevated subfloors and decks exposed to radiant heat, not internal floors over a slab. See timber flooring in bushfire areas.