The Hardwood Collection is our engineered range in temperate Northern Hemisphere hardwoods rather than oak — twelve colours across two species, American Red Oak and White Ash. Both have been used across Europe and North America for generations for the same reasons: they take a finish beautifully, they wear well, and their grain has a quiet, even character that oak does not. Eight of the twelve colours are Red Oak; four are White Ash. Each colour has been developed for the species it sits on, so the grain and the tone work together rather than fighting each other.

Every board is 190mm wide and 14mm thick with a 3mm hardwood wear layer, in a 1900mm length with nested shorter planks, supplied 2.166 m² per carton at around 19kg. The wear layer is bonded to a multi-ply core for structural reliability and dimensional accuracy. The profile is tongue-and-groove with micro-bevelled edges on all four sides. The grade is Hi-Spec AB — fewer knots and fewer natural markings for a cleaner look, though planks will still contain small knots and features along with natural batch colour variation. The surface is lightly wire-brushed and finished in a matte water-based PU lacquer.

On performance: Janka hardness is approximately 5.2 kN for the Red Oak colours and 5.5 kN for the White Ash colours. Slip resistance is P3 by wet pendulum to AS/NZS 4586:2013. Fire testing to AS/ISO 9239.1:2003 returns a critical radiant flux of 5.9 kW/m² and a smoke value of 23 percent-minutes. Acoustically it performs well for an engineered timber floor — 42 L’nT,w over a 2mm green underlay, a 5 Star result, which matters if you are in an apartment with a body corporate to satisfy. VOC emissions are E1. The collection can be installed over “In-Slab” hydronic heating only, and the installing contractor must follow that system’s sub-floor preparation, installation and commissioning requirements — warranty support depends on it.

One thing to know before you buy: Red Oak and White Ash are light-sensitive, in the same way our Australian eucalypts are. Sustained exposure to strong UV light and heat — or sustained shielding from it — will shift the colour over time. Screen your windows and doors, keep rugs off the floor for the first eight weeks or so, and move them around after that. Do it and the floor ages evenly; skip it and you will see the outline of the rug. Installation is best done trowel-spread and direct-fixed onto a dry, flat substrate, though floating is also acceptable. Trims, coloured scotia and stair nosing are available across the collection.