Thread: Jarrah on a bathroom floor

Hi Lynn

Although Jarrah is pretty durable - after all it used to be used in jettys and railways - I don't think that it will last a bathroom. The problem is not so much whether it will rot, but whether it will expand and twist as flooring. I think that any water getting between the boards will have this effect.

If you really want to go ahead, I would seal the Jarrah in epoxy resin. Anything less would not be durable enough in my opinion. I might go so far as to add a layer of fibreglass cloth as resin on its own is likely to crack, then moisture will get in.

Regards from Perth

Derek

if the floor is sealed properly you should have no problems at all .
i have done bathrooms with parquetry of several different timbers . and have done even more with cork tiles , the trick is in finishing the job properly.
i have even seen a shower recess done with cork tiles though i never did that job.
the sub floor in a lot of bathrooms these days is only a water resistant chip board anyway the same as the vanity units and i would back any hardwood against any chipboard any day

Make sure the steam and heat is kept to a minimum and as a extra precaution use a paint sealer on the tops of the joists and all around the floor boards including any cut ends/edges. Also fill/seal all nail holes and use galvinised or stainless steel nails as this is usually the weake point and moisture here will first stain then rot the boards.

Otherwise go for it as it will look magnificent

Originally Posted by lynnmarie_65

Hi there, I have been searching the internet trying to find out if it is ok to have jarrah floor boards on an ensuite bathroom floor. My husband and I saw it a few years ago at a B & B and loved it, when we planned our extension that is what we intended to do. He died 4 months ago before we got that far and now some people are saying I shouldn't do it. The shower/bath unit is fully self contained, no drainage through the floor to leak. If they are sealed properly a few drops of water now and then shouldn't hurt should they?
Secondly varnish or tongue oil? Which will last longer, be more durable? I don't mind a 'rustic' look, it will match the rest of the place. Hope someone can give some advice! Thanks Lynn

Imagine what will happen when the Jarrah expands and shrinks across its width as its water content changes.

Changes in humidity will do it, it doesn't actually need to get water on it.

Imagine how it will dry out when you take a holiday in January/February.

Assume that wood will expand/shrink about 1.5" across the grain in normal conditions.

As Derek notes, Jarrah's used in jetties and such. I've seen some jetties, I recall the one in Hamelin Bay, and I fished of the Busselton jetty in the 60s. They didn't have floors with boards pressed hard together against each other, they had gaps between the boards. And they were substantial boards! Decking too is spaced out. If you think a floor like a decking is okay in your bathroom, go for it.

Bathrooms I can remember that had a wooden underfloor had the timber covered over with something else, maybe F/C sheeting and a floor built on that.

It doesnt matter what time of year, jarrah doesnt stop moving. I have seen it on a bathroomfloor but I dont know how its going. Personally I would do it because you would have a constant humidity level in your bathroom and being sealed properly should be ok.

Seal it with a good PolyU, set up an exhaust fan that switches on when the lights are turned on and mop up any spill ASAP. You'll be fine.

I laid jarrah flooring in a sun-room that was later modified into an en-suite... and they simply laid fibro sheets down and tiled directly over that.

Some 10 years later I was called in for repairs, but that was pretty good going considering that grout isn't waterproof and so the boards were almost continually wet.

The issue as I see it is maintaining the moisture level at a constant in the wood. I would use tongue and grove and would glue the boards together and secret nail it down. What the glue will do is stop the joints from sucking in moisture due to capilliaries, its not to hold it together. Then shame of shames Id go for an epoxy. You will need to allow a bit for expansion, Id have the skirting off fit the floor with a gap to the wall refit the skirting or if tiles use silicone instead of grout along the floor line. Also I would paint the bottom of the boards