Timber Flooring in Wellington

Wellington asks more of a floor than most New Zealand cities, for reasons that have little to do with temperature.

Humidity is consistently high, the wind is relentless, much of the housing sits on steep sites with timber subfloors, and a large share of the apartment stock has been through seismic strengthening. Each of those affects what should be specified and how it should be laid.

Specifying for Wellington conditions

• Subfloor ventilation on hillside sites. Steep sections often mean enclosed or poorly ventilated subfloors with damp ground close beneath. It is the problem we see most often on Wellington jobs.
• High ambient humidity means slower drying. Substrates take longer to reach tolerance than a programme usually allows.
• Apartments bring acoustic requirements. Body corporate rules commonly specify impact sound performance. Our acoustic underlay test report is on the Resources page, and it is worth having in front of you at specification stage.
• Vapour barriers over concrete. On these sites we recommend one regardless of slab age.

Apartments and character housing

Wellington splits into two jobs. Character villas and bungalows on timber piles, where ventilation and moisture dominate. And apartments on concrete, where acoustic performance and slab moisture dominate.

For apartments, the 12mm wall and ceiling board is worth considering alongside the floor. It achieves a Group 1-S fire rating with an intumescent coating, which matters where body corporate or consent conditions apply, and the 120mm width is dimensioned so joins align with the 240mm floor board.

Delivery and consultation

We deliver throughout the Wellington region. Our nearest showroom is Christchurch, at 149 Victoria Street, open weekdays 9.00am to 2.30pm and by appointment outside those hours including evenings and weekends.

Samples are free and unlimited. Wellington light shifts hard between overcast and bright, so seeing a colour in the actual room matters more here than most places.