Areas we take enquiries from

We take timber floor enquiries from across the City of Ballarat and nearby towns. Whether a job can go ahead depends on the independent contractor your enquiry is passed to, so please include your suburb or town and we'll let you know if it's outside their area.

Central Ballarat and the older suburbs

Ballarat Central, Lake Wendouree, Soldiers Hill, Black Hill, Ballarat North, Ballarat East, Golden Point, Bakery Hill, Redan and Brown Hill.

These are some of Ballarat's oldest residential areas. The Ballarat Heritage Study records timber, and weatherboard in particular, as the main material in much of the city's nineteenth-century housing, alongside brick and stone villas. Homes of this age have often been altered many times, so patched sections, mismatched boards and gaps are common. Some period homes have softwood floors that need careful sanding. See floorboard repairs.

Sebastopol, Redan and the south

Sebastopol, Delacombe, Bonshaw, Mount Pleasant and Canadian.

Sebastopol has its own heritage study and its own mining history. Housing here ranges from older cottages to mid-century homes and newer estates in Delacombe. Lift a corner of the carpet in a wardrobe to see what's underneath.

Wendouree and the west

Wendouree, Alfredton, Lake Gardens, Invermay Park and Mitchell Park.

A mix of post-war and later homes, many with timber floors that have spent years under carpet. Newer parts of Alfredton have more engineered timber, hybrid and laminate, and only engineered boards with a thick enough timber layer can be sanded. See floor sanding.

Lucas, Winter Valley and growth areas

Lucas, Winter Valley, Smythes Creek and Cardigan Village.

Mostly newer homes. Floors are more often engineered, hybrid or laminate, and a recoat may suit engineered timber. Two-storey homes here are where most timber stairs are found.

Mount Clear, Mount Helen and Buninyong

Mount Clear, Mount Helen, Buninyong and Scotsburn.

Buninyong is one of the older towns in the district, with period homes alongside newer houses. Leafy, hilly blocks mean decks and verandahs collect leaves and stay damp, so deck restoration questions are common.

Creswick, Daylesford and nearby towns

Creswick, Clunes, Daylesford, Hepburn Springs, Beaufort and Ballan.

Several of these towns have historic timber homes and holiday houses. Travel distance can affect availability and travel charges, so mention your town.

How Ballarat's climate affects floors

Bureau of Meteorology long-term averages for Ballarat Aerodrome show about 685 mm of rain a year, rain on around 167 days, July minimums around 3 °C and winter morning humidity near 90 per cent. Summers are milder than much of inland Victoria. For timber floors this means slower drying in winter, boards that swell in damp months and shrink with heating, and outdoor timber that stays wet. Contractors plan coats, gap filling and deck work around this.

Heritage overlays

Large parts of Ballarat are covered by heritage overlays. Sanding and recoating internal floors usually doesn't change a building's appearance from the street, but verandahs and other external timber may be different. If you're unsure, check with the City of Ballarat.

Not on the list?

Send an enquiry anyway with your suburb or town and we'll let you know.