Timber Floor Finishes Brisbane — Gloss, Satin & Matte

QBCC #64691 · ATFA #98 · Est. 1964 · Customer testimonials

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How to sand and finish a SE QLD hardwood timber floor

The right finish for your floor — explained in person

Quality Floors by Max Francis is a family business with 25+ years’ experience in the Quality Floors and floor polishing trade. Our timber flooring experts offer in-person floor quotes to all Brisbane homes and businesses.

Got any questions? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

Finishes Sanding When Choosing Timber

Finished hardwood floor by Quality Floors

Floor finishes: gloss, satin, matte & semi-gloss

Choose an interior finish for the way you use the floor

Start with the existing timber, coating compatibility, room use and maintenance routine. Sheen describes appearance; it does not establish hardness or durability. Ask which specific coating is proposed and what its instructions require.

Gloss

A reflective finish that makes grain and light more prominent. Compare samples and consider how reflections reveal surface texture. Confirm availability within the selected coating system.

Satin

A softer reflection than gloss. Satin and semi-gloss options vary between product ranges, so compare the actual finish in the room.

Matte

A lower-sheen appearance that places less emphasis on reflected light. Matte is an appearance choice; coating suitability and maintenance still matter.

Interior finishes

Polyurethane base (high gloss / matt / satin / semi-gloss)
Waterbase (matt / satin / gloss)

Exterior finishes

Choose an exterior system for the timber and exposure.
Check existing coating compatibility and ongoing maintenance.

Questions before choosing

Timber floor finishes compared

Decision	What to compare	What to confirm
Appearance	Colour, sheen and grain in the room’s light	Sample appearance on the existing timber
Compatibility	Existing coating, cleaners and previous repairs	Maintenance recoat or full preparation
Everyday use	Traffic, pets, furniture and cleaning routine	Suitability and ongoing care for the actual product
Schedule	Application stages and access restrictions	Separate foot-traffic, furniture and full-cure instructions

See our coating comparison guide and return-to-use guide. The ATFA sanding and coating index lists further industry guidance; some detailed sheets require membership.

Brisbane floor tips — how to sand a floor or deck

The sanding & floor finishing process

Assess

Identify the existing floor, coating and remaining usable timber. Check moisture or movement concerns before agreeing to sand.

Prepare

Include suitable repairs, fixings and edge work in the written scope. The sanding sequence follows the timber and existing surface.

Clean

Remove sanding dust and prepare the area for the chosen coating. Follow the product’s preparation requirements.

Coat

Apply the specified system with its required coat numbers, intervals and any abrasion between coats.

Handover

Confirm when light traffic, furniture, rugs, cleaning and full use are permitted. Give the floor the time its coating needs.

Timber floor prepared for its final coats of finish

Preparation and cleaning must suit the selected finish. Ask for the proposed coating to be named in your quote and follow its application and maintenance instructions. For exterior timber, use the separate deck restoration assessment; an interior coating is not automatically suitable outdoors.

Species, colour, grade and hardness

When choosing timber for Brisbane floors

The sapwood of many hardwoods can be much lighter than heartwood and some boards may contain both light and dark colours. Even within a single species and within individual trees large colour variations can occur.

The age of the tree can have a significant influence on the colour with younger timber often being lighter than a more mature timber. The product supplied may differ in colour to showroom samples and this should be discussed with us.

If repair boards are needed, compare the species, dimensions, grain and colour before work begins. New and aged boards may remain visibly different after finishing. Our replacement-board guide explains those limits.

The character of the floor is influenced by the species characteristics and therefore the grade. Grading is a process that sorts boards according to the number and size features present (e.g. gum veins and knots).

Hardness indicates a species’ resistance to indentation and abrasion. Damage to timber floorsmay occur due to continual movement of furniture, heavy foot traffic and in particular stiletto-heel type loading. The selection of a hard timber wood species ensures improved resistance to indentation and abrasion.

Soft timber species, if used in feature floors can be expected to indent. Floor finishes will not significantly improve the hardness of timber flooring. In some species younger growth material the hardness can also be much lower than mature timber of the same species, but this varies from species to species.

Tasmanian Oak timber flooring sample — Tasmanian Oak

Cypress timber flooring sample — Cypress

Blackbutt timber flooring sample — Blackbutt

Real Brisbane timber finishes

Full gallery

Floor finishes on a hardwood Brisbane floor

I admired Max's work for years and when the opportunity came to get our floors done there was no one else I would have chosen. The outcome was everything we wanted and more with emphasis on attention to detail and quality. Do not look any further than Max and the team – they truly are best in the business and go above and beyond. Thanks so much Max! We absolutely adore our new floors.

— Brooke McGregor, Google review

Planning from real photographs

Colour, grain and changing light

The darker floors in this gallery are shown in furnished rooms and in direct sunlight. The contrast illustrates why a finish should be considered with the timber and room lighting, rather than selected from a photograph alone.