Taroona Family Residence: Blackwood, Wide and Unbroken
Tasmanian Blackwood in 180mm boards running unbroken through 140 square metres of living space.
The Challenge & Vision
The architect had drawn the living, dining and hallway as one continuous plane with no thresholds anywhere. At 140 square metres and 180mm board width, that is a long way for a solid floor to move seasonally without opening a gap you can feel through a sock.
The Solution
The Blackwood was delivered four weeks ahead and acclimatised on site to the finished moisture content of the house, not the yard. Boards were secret-nailed and adhesive-bedded to a battened subfloor, with the expansion allowance taken entirely at the perimeter behind deep skirtings. No threshold appears anywhere in the 140 square metres.
Technical Specifications
A wide solid board asks more of the preparation than the fixing.
| Attribute | Value / Standard |
|---|---|
| Species | Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) |
| Janka Hardness | 5.5 kN |
| Thickness | 19mm Solid Plank |
| Width | 180mm Wide Board |
| Acclimatisation | 4 weeks on site |
| Finish | Water-based polyurethane, low sheen |
One Continuous Plane
They insisted on getting the timber on site a month before they would lay a board. It felt slow at the time. Two winters later there is not a single gap anywhere in the house, so I understand why now.
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