Oak floorboards & herringbone flooring in Hobart

Timbo in Hobart and southern Tasmania

Timbo is appointing partners in Hobart. Homeowners can email partnerships@timbo.com.au and we'll connect you with a flooring business that can supply and install Prime grade European solid oak herringbone, chevron and pattern parquet. Tasmanian flooring businesses can apply to become a partner.

Orders ship from Timbo's Melbourne warehouse across Bass Strait, with freight quoted per order. See delivery and lead times.

Heritage houses on timber floors

Hobart has some of Australia's oldest surviving housing. Georgian sandstone cottages in Battery Point, Victorian and Federation brick and weatherboard houses through North Hobart, West Hobart, Sandy Bay and New Town, and post-war homes across the eastern shore make up much of the city. Most sit on timber joists over a crawl space.

Herringbone suits these interiors, and solid 18mm blocks can be sanded back and refinished many times. Before laying parquet in an older Hobart home, your installer will look at:

• Subfloor ventilation. Hillside houses often have damp, poorly ventilated crawl spaces on the uphill side.
• Joist and board condition. Old floors may need levelling or a plywood substrate.
• Rising damp in sandstone. Damp walls mean damp air near the floor; fix the cause first.

Newer homes in Kingston, Sorell, Brighton and the northern suburbs are mostly slab-on-ground; see installing parquet over a concrete slab.

Cold winters, heated homes

Hobart is cool temperate: mild summers and cold winters, with snow often visible on kunanyi/Mount Wellington. Homes are heated for much of the year, with heat pumps and wood heaters both common.

Heated air is dry, and oak responds by giving up moisture and shrinking slightly through winter. That means:

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). Read acclimatising oak flooring.

Bushfire-prone slopes

Hobart's suburbs climb the foothills of kunanyi, and fire has reached the city before, most notably in 1967. Homes in Fern Tree, the upper parts of West Hobart and South Hobart, and parts of the eastern shore may carry a bushfire attack level (BAL). AS 3959 mainly regulates elevated subfloors and decks exposed to radiant heat, rather than internal floors over a slab (WoodSolutions). Hillside homes with raised timber subfloors should read timber flooring in bushfire areas and confirm the BAL with their builder.

European oak in a Tasmanian oak town

Tasmanians know their own hardwoods. European oak isn't a replacement for Tasmanian oak so much as a different floor: true oak grain, Prime grade with an even look, and available in herringbone and chevron parquet formats. See the European oak vs Tasmanian oak comparison.

Getting the oak across Bass Strait

Every Tasmanian order crosses Bass Strait from Melbourne, so a few habits help:

• Order the whole job at once. Include the pattern's waste allowance so you don't need a second shipment; our how many boxes guide explains the maths.
• Inspect on arrival. Your Timbo partner checks the delivery as soon as it arrives – partners must report any defects to Timbo within 3 days of receipt, so problems are caught before installation.
• Store it inside, not in the shed. Unheated garages and sheds in a Hobart winter are cold and damp; acclimatise the boxes in the rooms where they'll be laid.

Tasmanian flooring businesses

Timbo partners order from Melbourne stock with no container minimums and get wholesale pricing, free samples and marketing support. The program is non-exclusive and free to join.