Coastal Blackbutt:Popular Timber Flooring Choice

For timber floorings, the Blackbutt is by far the most in demand timber product. Fairly recently, the Blackbutt timber floors have gained considerable media mileage, which accounts for its increasing popularity. Many homeowners are attracted to its appearance with extremely attractive features. It looks very neat with its even grain, giving a room appear larger than its actual size.



The Coastal Blackbutt as differentiated form its tableland species, belongs to the very common hardwood species. Like its namesake, it naturally grows in the coastal forests of New South Wales. You can find the tree from the south caost beginning in Bega all the way to Maryborough in Queensland. It stands majestically as tall as seventy-five meters.



It has been dubbed the blackbutt because its lower trunk dramatically darkens after being scorched by a bushfire, but in truth, it is known as cream-colored. Its actual color ranges from golden yellow to a pale shade of brown. Its tint is very subtle, making it highly ideal for homes with a neutral interior style.

The tree’s sapwood is generally lighter than its heartwood. Some of the timber products gotten from the northern region of its habitat can have a slight pinkish shade. Moreover, its sapwood is not susceptible to lyctid borer infestation while its heartwood, as long as it is placed above ground, is termite-resistant.



Since the Blackbutt is a popular timber product, it has many applications, namely, as poles, decking, flooring and furniture. The heartwood is hardy, which can be used for outdoors. However, extreme care should be practiced in drying the wood to avoid shrinkage or warping on the the tangential direction.



The wood is very versatile and works fairly well in steam bending. However, painting on it is not recommended because of its vulnerability to surface check. You will get sufficient results in stain finishes instead. Moreover, its high extractives ingredients especially on older woods will produce gluing issues, particularly if you are using phenolic adhesives. Younger trees especially the re-growth timber does not share this tendency with their older counterparts. Re-growth timber has a great potential to be use d as structural plywood.



The Coastal Blackbutt is ideal for indoor applications and not for outdoors where it could bleach losing its beautiful gum vein features. It is now available in various widths and size of floorboards for use in many ways. However, it is still the number one choice for timber flooring.