Most of what’s in a flooring showroom these days looks like timber, but a lot of it isn’t. The useful split is wood-based products (solid, engineered, laminate, bamboo) on one side and hybrid on the other — a rigid plastic core with a printed timber face, sometimes sold as LVT, WPC or SPC. They can look identical in a photo while the material underneath is completely different, and once you know which camp a product sits in, a lot of the marketing becomes easier to read.
Wood-based floors move with humidity
Solid, engineered, laminate and bamboo all contain cellulose (in laminate’s case, a wood-fibre core under a photo layer). They take moisture in and out of the air, and Melbourne’s wet winters and dry heated summers make that movement show up as small seasonal gaps or tightness.
Engineered and laminate move less in width than solid, though they can creep a little along the length instead. Installers leave expansion gaps for a reason: on floating installs typically around 8–12mm+ at perimeters, or whatever the product sheet says. Use the gap on the product sheet.
Bathrooms and laundries are a hard sell for real timber, because steam and standing water damage the boards. Kitchens are a grey area: engineered glue-down often handles the odd spill, but standing water is still bad for any timber.
Indoor RH for occupied timber floors is often discussed around 40–60%. Empty houses with heaters running, or builders' moisture left in slabs, push well past that range, and floors show it.
Hybrid floors move with temperature
Hybrid is a plastic core with a printed timber face, often with a foam or acoustic backing. Humidity barely affects it, but heat does. Hot north-facing rooms, big glass and underfloor heating are the conditions where hybrid floors expand.
Waterproof claims almost always belong to this camp, which is fair enough for wet areas. Underfoot, hybrid feels cooler and less lively than timber. Some people don’t mind at all; others notice it straight away, which is why it’s worth walking on both before you decide.
What the marketing terms mean
- "100% waterproof" → hybrid; the core doesn’t take up water the way wood fibre does. Install and edge detailing still matter.
- "Every plank unique" → real wood grain (solid or engineered). Print layers repeat eventually.
- "Timber look for bathrooms" → check the core. If it’s a wood-fibre / HDF laminate, keep it out of wet zones.
- "SPC / LVT / WPC" → trade names within the hybrid camp. Ask what’s actually in the middle and whether there’s a foam backing.
- "Waterproof timber" → treat with caution. Real timber faces still dislike soakings even when the core is clever.
- "Pet proof / kid proof" → wear layer and finish quality matter more than the slogan. Ask for the wear rating and the actual care rules.
Room by room
Think about the material first and the colour second.
- Living / dining: either camp works. Solid or engineered if you want real wood feel and character; hybrid if you want lower fuss and a printed look.
- Bedrooms: either camp. Timber is pleasant underfoot; hybrid is fine if the rest of the home is running that system.
- Hallways / high traffic: hardwood or tough engineered wear layers hold up well here. Laminate and hybrid can work with a decent wear layer, though grit wears everything down.
- Kitchens: engineered glue-down handles the odd spill better than floating wood fibre. Standing water favours hybrid. Wipe spills promptly either way.
- Bathrooms / laundry: hybrid. Solid and laminate don’t belong in steam and soak risk.
- North-facing sunrooms / glass boxes: wood-based can dry and gap; hybrid can expand with heat. Both need correct gaps and product limits, because big glass puts any floor under stress.
- Underfloor heating: both camps can work when the product allows it. Check the heat limit (°C at the floor surface) on the product sheet. Stick-on mats and unknown peak temps are a common cause of wavy floors.
If you want real timber behaviour spelled out after you’ve chosen wood-based, read how to choose timber flooring. For day-to-day behaviour of click systems, see what to expect from engineered, hybrid and laminate.
Feel underfoot
Timber (solid or engineered) has a slight give and warmth that plastic cores don’t quite reproduce. Hybrid feels firmer and cooler, especially on slab without a soft underlay. Laminate sits somewhere in between depending on underlay thickness.
This comes down to preference. Walk on samples in the showroom and on a hard floor rather than only on carpet; the difference is obvious once you feel it.
What waterproof claims actually mean
"Waterproof" usually means the core doesn’t swell like HDF when it gets wet. It does not mean:
- You can flood the bathroom and ignore silicone
- Seams never need care
- A floating floor can sit in a puddle for a week without consequences
Standing water under skirtings, failed wet-area detailing and wet mop abuse still cause problems. Waterproof means the floor copes better in splash-prone rooms; it is not a guarantee against standing water.
Underfloor heating
Wood-based floors are often allowed within manufacturer limits. Keep floor-surface temperatures in the product’s range — many AU sheets call a max around ≤27°C at the floor surface, and the pack insert wins if it says otherwise. Ramp heat up slowly; sudden spikes in an empty house are worse than steady warmth.
Hybrid: heat expands plastic, so follow the max temp and any guidance about turning heating up gradually. Don’t put electric mats under a product that forbids them.
If the heating contractor and the flooring manufacturer disagree, sort it out on paper before install day.