Best Hardwood Floor Finishings 2025

Best Hardwood Floor Finishings 2025

When it comes to creating a truly beautiful and long lasting home, hardwood flooring stands out as the pinnacle. In Australian homes, timber floors bring in a blend of natural beauty, durability, and a warmth to any space. 

But…choosing the right finish for your floor is vital too. The finish protects your timber floor from daily wear and tear, moisture, and UV rays, whilst also giving it that final striking look and feel.

With so many types of finishing available, how do you know which is perfect for your floor? Let’s start by looking at hardwood types, what finishes are available and then go into the finishing trends.

Hardwood Flooring Options in Australia

Australian hardwoods provide stunning natural colours, incredible durability, and timeless appeal. Our top hardwoods are:

🪵 Spotted Gum

Loved for its stunning colour palette, from light greys to rich chocolate browns, and its impressive hardness.

🪵 Blackbutt

A beautiful, consistent timber with lighter tones, offering excellent durability for modern spaces.

🪵 Jarrah

A gorgeous reddish-brown timber, it's incredibly dense and durable. While often found in heritage homes, Jarrah looks just as stunning in modern settings.

🪵 Tassie Oak

This popular timber is known for its light colour and excellent stability. It's super versatile too, taking stains well to suit a wide range of interior styles.

🪵 Ironbark

This popular timber shines with its light colour and fantastic stability. It's also incredibly versatile, easily taking stains to perfectly complement a wide range of interior styles.

Hardwood Flooring Trends for 2025 in Australia

This year, we’re seeing some very clear current trends when it comes to hardwood flooring:

😍 Warm, Earthy Tones

😍 Matte and Low Sheen Finishes

😍 Textured Surfaces

😍 Wider and Longer Planks

😍 Sustainable Timber Choices

Understanding Hardwood Floor Finishes

The finish is the protective shield for your floor, battling daily wear and tear, scratches and UV damage, all while bringing out the timber’s natural beauty.

The finish is so crucial for your hardwood floor for a few reasons:

🐾 Ultimate Protection

Your floor has to withstand not just wear and tear, but scratches, scuffs, spills, and that’s not to mention the pets, children and constant foot traffic!

👀 Defines the Look of the Wood

The finish completely dictates the final aesthetic of your floor. Do you want that modern, subtle matte look, or a classic, gleaming shine? It's what shapes how light reflects off your timber, beautifully highlighting its natural grain.

✔️ Extends Lifespan & Eases Maintenance

A quality finish is key to a longer lasting floor, as it actively prevents damage to the raw timber underneath. It also makes cleaning and general maintenance much easier, ensuring your hardwoodremains beautiful with minimal hassle.

Types of Hardwood Floor Finishes

Now that you know why the finish is so important, let’s explore the main types of hardwood floor finishes you'll come across. Each has its own strengths and unique look, so understanding them will help you choose the best fit for your home.

Polyurethane (Oil-Based & Water-Based)

Polyurethane is one of the most common and popular choices, forming a durable protective layer on top of the wood.

Oil Based Polyurethane

👍 Pros: This is the traditional hard worker. It's incredibly durable and famous for bringing out a rich, warm, amber glow in the timber (a process called "ambering"). It creates a very tough surface.

 👎 Cons: It comes with stronger fumes when you’re applying it, so you'll need good ventilation and longer drying times between coats. The ambering effect might not suit all modern, lighter timber aesthetics, and spot repairs can be tricky.

Water Based Polyurethane

👍 Pros: A fantastic modern alternative. It's much lower in VOCs (meaning fewer fumes and better indoor air quality), dries much faster, and offers a clearer, non-yellowing finish. This means it preserves the natural, true tone of your timber making it perfect for those light, contemporary looks. It's also durable and generally easier to clean up.

 👎 Cons: Can be a bit pricier than oil based, and while durable, some prefer the chemical resistance of oil based for extremely heavy commercial use. It also needs precise application to avoid marks.

Hardwax Oils

For a truly natural look and feel, hardwax oils are a brilliant choice that has grown significantly in popularity.

👍 Pros: They penetrate the wood to protect it from within, rather than forming a surface film. This gives your hardwood floor a beautiful, natural, matte finish that enhances the timber's grain and feels warm to the touch. They're typically low in VOCs, and they’re incredibly easy to spot repair! 

 👎 Cons: They require a bit more frequent maintenance (re-oiling) than polyurethanes, especially in high traffic areas, though this re-oiling is generally simple. They're also less resistant to harsh chemicals.

Penetrating Oils (e.g. Tung Oil, Linseed Oil)

These are some of the oldest types of finishes, designed to soak deep into the timber fibres.

👍 Pros: They give a very deep, natural, look that truly highlights the wood's character. Like hardwax oils, they are typically low in VOCs and are very easy to repair in small sections. They feel very natural underfoot.

 👎 Cons: Because they offer less surface protection than polyurethanes, they generally need more frequent re-oiling. They can also have longer curing times and may darken the timber slightly over time. They are best suited for areas with lighter wear and tear.

Choosing the right finish truly depends on your lifestyle, aesthetic preferences, and how much maintenance you're keen to do with it. Thinking about these factors will help you narrow down the perfect match for your hardwood floors!

Key Considerations Before Choosing a Hardwood Finish

Before you settle on a finish, it's really worth taking a moment to think about a few key things. It'll genuinely help you make a smart choice for your specific needs, so your hardwood flooring works perfectly in your home.

Durability & Traffic

A busy family home with kids and pets will need a far more robust finish than a quiet guest bedroom. Think about daily wear and tear your floor will face.

Appearance & Level of Sheen

This is all about the look you're after. Finishes come in various sheen levels:

🌟 Matte: Very little to no shine, giving you that natural, raw timber look.

🌟 Satin: A soft, subtle glow; this is often the most popular choice for a balanced, modern look.

🌟 Semi Gloss: A noticeable shine that reflects more light.

🌟 High Gloss: A very reflective, mirror-like finish that makes a bold statement. 

Your chosen sheen impacts how light plays on the floor and how visible things like dust or minor scratches might be.

Maintenance & Re-Coating

Some finishes are super simple to keep clean and maintain, while others might need specific cleaning products. Also, consider how often it might need re-coating or if small spot repairs are straightforward.

Environmental Impact & VOCs

If you’re concerned about indoor air quality (and many of us are!), look for low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) finishes. These release fewer chemicals into your home during and after application, which is a big plus.

Drying Time & Odour

Be practical about this! Some finishes come with stronger fumes and longer drying times, so you'll need to plan for a bit more disruption before your room is fully usable again.

Thinking through these points will set you up perfectly for looking at the different types of hardwood floor finishes available and choosing the one that truly fits for you.

Expert Takeaway Tip from Impact Floors

Choosing the right hardwood floor finish can feel like a big decision, and that's exactly why getting expert advice is so valuable. At Impact Floors, we always recommend you talk with professionals. 

The longevity and beauty of your hardwood flooring depends on expert application of the chosen finish. Our team on the Sunshine Coast can guide you through the options, consider your lifestyle and the specific timber you've chosen, and ensure a flawless, long lasting result. 

Don't leave your investment to chance; proper preparation and application are key!

Summary: Best Hardwood Floor Finishings 2025

Choosing the perfect finish for your hardwood flooring is just as important as choosing the timber itself. 

The leading trends shaping hardwood floors in 2025 are warm tones, matte finishes and making sustainable choices.

Ultimately, the "best" hardwood floor finish depends on your lifestyle and aesthetic choice. Remember, proper application is key to ensuring your hardwood floors look stunning and last for decades.

For more information on hardwood floors and finishes, call our friendly Impact Floors team on 1300 253 321 or complete our online enquiry form today.