Timber Flooring in Gisborne and Tairāwhiti

Gisborne combines warm dry summers with humid, wet winters, which is a wider annual swing than most of the North Island. A floor here has to cope with both ends rather than settling into one.

It is also a region with a large share of older timber-framed housing and a meaningful seismic history, both of which affect substrate condition.

Specifying for Tairāwhiti conditions

• Plan for the annual range, not the average. Summer dry and winter damp both act on the board. The boards take no perimeter expansion gap, so the range is handled by conditioning them and confirming substrate moisture before laying.
• Older timber subfloors need checking for level and ventilation. Movement in an older frame will show through a rigid floor.
• Acclimatisation in the room, at least the published 48 hours, with the house running normally.
• Strong summer light. East Coast sun is direct and will warm the appearance of an already warm oak.

Colour under East Coast light

Gisborne gets a lot of sunshine hours, and direct light changes how a floor reads. Warm mid tones such as Nectar and Saint-Tropez will read warmer again in a north-facing room with a lot of glass. The three colours carrying a grey undertone, La Forêt, Vuitton and Lune, hold their character under strong sun.

This is exactly the situation where a photograph misleads. Order samples, put them on the floor of the actual room, and look at them in the middle of the day.

Delivery and consultation

We deliver throughout Tairāwhiti and the East Coast. Our nearest showroom is Auckland, at Residium, 165 The Strand in Parnell, open seven days with an interior designer on site Wednesday to Saturday.

Samples are free and unlimited.