The finest Australian timber can enhance any home, whether you want to add rustic decor to your interior or design a welcoming porch to entertain and relax in your garden. Timber boasts many benefits, putting it well above other materials to ensure your home looks just as you envisioned it, including being safe to work with and ageing without the risk of decomposition. Furthermore, it is renewable, making it one of the most attractive options when harvesting it sustainably.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that timber has become the go-to choice for many renovations, redesigns, and architectural endeavours. So, if you have a project planned, you need to find the perfect timber for your needs, and here is the most popular Australian timber to consider.
Blackbutt
Blackbutt is available in a wide range of shades, making it ideal for interior and exterior designs. Perhaps most impressively, the timber is extraordinarily fire-resistant, so it is a popular choice for Australians who live in areas prone to bushfires.
The timber is robust, while the straight grain makes it easier to treat or paint if you want to cover the natural look when building. Still, the broad colour spectrum mentioned above can include everything from honey brown to light brown, and this usually involves a hint of pink that adds something unique.
Spotted Gum
Like Blackbutt, Spotted Gum is remarkably fire-resistant, so it is also a popular choice for fire-prone parts of the country. This is not all it offers, and its strength is arguably its most appealing quality. The wood is so strong that it is often used as part of railways, as it can handle plenty of regular pressure and usage.
You also don’t need to stain Spotted Gum as its natural hues are impressive by themselves. You can find Spotted Gum in shades such as white and dark brown and some even boast a luxurious deep red.
Victorian Ash
If you are looking for timber that boasts strength and stability, Victorian Ash could be perfect for you. Besides this, it provides a versatility that you won’t find in all Australian timbers, meaning you have a diverse range of applications. In the past, people have used Victorian Ash for inside floors, panelling, and furniture, including bench tops. It is also commonly seen as window frames or similar joinery projects as it can be manipulated easily when steamed.
Tasmanian Oak
Tasmanian Oak is not the traditional type of oak found in North America and Europe. Instead, it is a eucalypt tree that shares many similarities with Victorian Ash. A primary example of this is how workable the timber is so you will find it in flooring and panelling above anything else. Tasmanian Oak is light, and you will find an attractive shade spectrum that runs from creamy to pink with reddish-brown on the other side.
Red Ironbark
Red Ironbark comes in a deep red colour. It is arguably the most recognisable of all eucalypts across Australia, even for those who do not think they know anything about different tree species. Like other timbers, Red Ironbark is popular due to its strength, and boasts powerful elemental resistance that adds layers of durability, making it ideal for many projects, ranging from coffee tables to bridge construction. But, this capability means it can be trickier to work with, especially compared to Tasmanian Oak.
Brushbox
Brushbox timber comes in a wide range of colours and has a curly, interlocking texture that comes with a smoother grain, so it is fantastic for painting and finishing. You will find it in coastal Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, and many people will use it for outdoor projects due to its high density that makes it more resistant to wear and splintering. For example, you could use it as decking, especially in heavy foot traffic areas with minimal problems.
Flooded Gum
Flooded Gum is one of those timbers you select if you want to generate a warm and welcoming aesthetic in your home. It is ideal for kitchen floors, dining room floors, and entrance halls, as the soft and deep colouring makes guests feel at ease. While primarily a decorative option, it is also common in construction, especially because the density makes it resistant to termites, ensuring your property remains safe and structurally sound.
Jarrah
Jarrah ticks many boxes for anyone searching for dependable and robust timber for their next project. It has a 15% greater density compared to oak, and it is also naturally resistant to weather, termites, and marine animals, particularly borers. Furthermore, its elemental protectiveness means it will not burn unless exposed to a consistent and direct flame. For projects, you can use Jarrah for home floors, joinery, and furniture.
Karri
Commonly chosen for flooring and joinery as well as panelling, Karri is found in Western Australia and offers multiple shades that would suit any environment, with golden pink and creamy white streaking being two of the most popular styles. It has a long and interlocking grain to add fine and attractive details, and it’s often up to the designer whether they prefer to paint it, although the botanical name (eucalyptus diversicolor) encourages most people to leave it natural.
Myrtle Beech
Rather than being a (perhaps unintentional) pun on the Myrtle Beach found in South Carolina, you will enjoy a distinct and striking wood that boasts a grain that’s always full of surprises. Unlike other timbers, you never know what you’re getting, which makes it all the more exciting, as you could find wavy, burl, or tiger-striped grain patterns. It is adored by architects and it comes to life after being finished, especially when used as flooring or panelling.
If You Go Down in the Woods Today
From Blackbutt to Myrtle Beech, there are plenty of options for you to consider, and each brings a unique and impressive appeal to your property. Because of this, it doesn’t matter if you’re searching for graceful accents or robust and dependable structures. You can find whatever you want (and enjoy exceptional results) through any of these popular Australian timbers.
