The Best Engineered Timber Flooring for Perth Homeowners: A 2025 Expert Comparison
You know that eerie creak old timber floors make at night? That’s not your house settling. It’s because the floorboards in it weren’t made to stay flat this long.
Most engineered timber floors just look like natural wood. Whether you’re renovating in Scarborough or building in the hills, this 2025 guide will show you the best engineered timber floors that are made to stay flat, silent, and beautiful, several decades after they’re installed.
Curious to know what premium engineered timber costs in Perth?
Download our 2025 Price Guide to compare designs before you choose.
Why Perth Homeowners Choose Engineered Timber Flooring
The main reason so many people install engineered timber in their homes is because they want authentic wood that acts like a floor.
- It’s natural and unique to your home
- You can run the air-con or heating all year and it won’t swell or shrink
- You can re-polish it any time to bring back that fresh, just-installed shine.
- You can walk on it the day it’s laid without worry
- Unlike vinyl or tile, it fills your home with warmth
Natural timber brings art and permanence into your everyday life.
Want to see which styles suit your home?
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How Engineered Timber Floors are Made
The name can often throw people off. Engineered doesn’t mean imitation. It’s simply the process used to strengthen natural timber. Each board has a genuine hardwood surface that’s bonded to a structured base to prevent your floor from moving over time.
Top Layer
A 2-6mm slice of solid wood, namely Oak, Jarrah, or Blackbutt. This is what gives your home an incredibly unique character and depending on how thick the top layer is, it can be sanded and polished up to 5 times to get that fresh, new-floor look.
Core Layer
Most engineered boards core is layers of plywood that are pressed together and laid in the opposite direction to the top. Premium floors like Lifewood’s Stabilised Solid®, use short cuts of the same timber. The cross-laminated structure holds the edges of your board down to prevent cupping and warping.
Base Layer
Another 1-5mm thin slice of timber pressed to the bottom for added stability. This keeps your board flat and stops it from bowing, which is when you hear noticeable hollow sounds or creaks. In premium floors like Stabilised Solid®, the base is crafted from the same timber species as the surface to give you complete strength throughout your boards.
Every board is built differently and the price often reflects that. Download our 2025 Price Guide to compare the differences.
Bonding Process
The top, core, and base layers are covered in a strong adhesive then pressed together under heat to form a single, solid board. Now your floor can handle the air-con, heating, spills, and general living all year round.
The Finish
After each layer has been pressed together, the surface is then coated in a semi-gloss, satin, or matte lacquer to protect the board from scratches, light damage, and daily wear without concealing its natural beauty. The best engineered boards coat the surface in several layers of a UV lacquer. Lifewood coats their boards in 9 layers of polyurethane UV protective coating.
Engineered timber floors are crafted from a solid plank of wood to look stunning and last forever in your home.
Engineered vs Solid Timber: Which Is Better for Perth Homes?
Both floors are made from real wood. The difference is how each board is made, and how it behaves once installed in your home.
Solid Timber Flooring
They are exactly that. A solid plank of timber, milled from one piece of wood. It’s what’s been used in most homes around the world for hundreds of years. But as a single block of timber, it is highly susceptible to moisture absorption from air-cons which can lead to large gaps, cupping, and creaks over time.
Engineered Timber Flooring
Still a genuine wood surface. The cross-layered structure is designed to resist warping by keeping the board flat. You still get the same authenticity of solid timber, but with less risk of movement. Stabilised Solid®, goes even further by using the same timber species throughout the entire board, combining the beauty of solid timber with the stability of modern engineering.
Which One Is Right for You?
Whether you’re building or renovating, we recommend engineered timber as the better choice for Perth. You get real wood with the same timeless look and a more stable structure.
Before you decide, download our 2025 Price Guide to see how our different handcrafted options compare.
Solid timber has its place in traditional builds. But for modern homes, engineered timber gives you the perfect balance of beauty and strength.
What to Look for When Choosing Engineered Timber Flooring
Most timber floors look perfect under the showroom lights and it can be difficult to spot qualities that would give your floor longevity. Here are 4 things to look for when choosing engineered timber.
- Wear Layer: Obviously, you don’t want your floor to get scratched up and damaged within 5 years of laying it. A wear layer or “veneer”, of at least 3mm thick is important if you want your boards to survive several decades of wear.
- Core Construction: Beyond general wear, you might agree that it’s also important your natural timber floor resists as much movement as possible when exposed to spills, weather changes, pets, and puddles. Having a cross-laminated core holds the edges of your boards down so they stay flat. Resisting the natural inclination to cup.
- Coating Finish: Because wood is naturally hygroscopic and absorptive, you would generally look for pre-finished timber for your home. This is engineered flooring that has multiple UV lacquer coatings over the top veneer to prevent your floor from absorbing moisture from above, and sunlight drying it out from within.
- Warranty: The amount of warranty a company gives their boards is a direct reflection of how much they trust them last. Lifewood is the only timber flooring company in Australia that offers a genuine lifetime warranty that extends beyond most company’s “25-Year Limited Lifetime Warranty”.
Timber floors are more than a beautiful addition to your home. They’re an investment that can last forever if you choose carefully.
The Most Popular Engineered Timber Flooring Options in WA
| Brand / Range | Wear Layer | Construction | Finish | Warranty |
| Lifewood – Stabilised Solid® | 3–5mm | Cross-Engineered Timber Core and Solid Timber Base | Pre-Finished Satin/Semi-Gloss UV Lacquer | Lifetime Residential Warranty |
| Woodpecker – Engineered Range | 3–4mm | Multiply Engineered | Pre-finished Satin Lacquer | Lifetime Residential Warranty |
| Quick-Step – Engineered Wood Floorboards | 2–5mm | Solid or HDF Core and Spruce Backing | Pre-Finished Matt Lacquer | 25 Years Residential Warranty |
| Preference Floors – Prestige Oak | 2–6mm | Mixed Hardwood Plywood Core | Pre-Finished PU – Matte | 25 Year Limited (Lifetime) Structural Warranty |
To see updated pricing and installation costs, download our 2025 Perth Timber Flooring Price Guide.
How to Maintain Your Engineered Timber Floor for a Lifetime of Use
One of the best parts about owning a handcrafted timber floor is how easy it is to look after. Every Lifewood customer receives a complete floor care kit with instructions, but here are our top tips for keeping your floor in perfect condition.
- Sweep or vacuum with a soft-bristle attachment to remove dust, sand, and grit
- Use an Enjo Mop or Broom for effective cleaning without chemicals or streaks
- Install protective felt pads on furniture legs, especially chairs and stools that move frequently
- Use area rugs or runners in high-traffic pathways to reduce wear
- Place mats at all exterior doors to trap sand and grit before it reaches your floor.
- Wipe up spills immediately with a damp (not wet) cloth.
- Use a citrus solution and microfiber cloth, and avoid harsh cleaners or steam mops that can damage the your boards
Treat your timber floor with care and it will look as beautiful in 20 years as the day it was installed.
Thinking about installing timber flooring in your home?
Download our 2025 Price Guide to see exactly what long-term value looks like
FAQs
1. What is the best engineered timber flooring?
One that’s built for stability. A floor can look amazing on day one, but if it twists, cups, or creaks within a few years, it’s not a good floor. The best engineered timber flooring is made with a cross-laminated core, and base layer to stop movement.
2. What is the most durable Australian hardwood?
Ironbark is the hardest Australian timber used in flooring at 14.0 kN on the Janka hardness scale, however Spotted Gum, at 11.0 kN hardness, is more waxy, meaning it’s more resistant to moisture absorption.
3. Which is the most expensive engineered wood?
Marri 180mm from Lifewood’s Stabilised Solid range would arguably be the most expensive engineered wood because it’s incredibly rare to source. At $349/m² you’re buying locally sourced, limited material, handcrafted engineering that stays stable for life.
4. Which floor is best for a home in Australia?
Engineered timber is the ideal choice for most Australian homes because it gives you the elegance of natural wood with the strength to handle barefoot summers, open plan spaces, and active family living. Premium ranges like Lifewood’s Stabilised Solid® boards are made entirely from real hardwood and can handle harsher Australian climates than most engineered timber.
Get Your Free 2025 Perth Timber Flooring Price Guide
Before you spend a cent on flooring, get the facts.
Our guide includes up-to-date pricing on boards, installation, and designs so you can choose confidently and avoid costly surprises.
Author Profile
Matthew Barker, Lifewood’s Master Copywriter, crafts the voice behind the world’s most revolutionary timber floor — Stabilised Solid. His intense curiosity guides readers through a clear, purposeful journey with stories that fuel their minds. Matthew studies human nature with a scientific eye to understand exactly what drives people to decide, and has developed a commitment to showing them the best of the world.
Beauty meets longevity
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