Unfinished Flooring

The Zebrawood tree, Microberlina, brazzavillensis, is found across the Congo, Gabon and Cameroon and is sought after for its characteristic grain striping. This hardwood darkens with age and exposure to light, its straw, yellow-brown darkening to rich dark brown and the dark streaks deepening.

This hardwood species, Quercus, alba is recognizable on floors for its pattern of rays in colors from a beautiful tan to a golden brown. White Oak is a heavy wood with medium bending and crushing strength, is low in stiffness and very good in steam bending, making it ideal to pursue as a flooring choice.

The White Ash tree is 50-80 feet tall with a trunk 2-4 feet in diameter. The tree’s appearance is characterized by a round-topped crown at maturity. This hardwood is noted to react well to staining and preservative treatment. White Ash ambers over time from its pale cream color to golden-straw.

This species, Milletia, laurentii, is a uniform dark chocolate brown color. Wenge is gaining popularity in flooring because it is a good hardwood for turnery, cutting easily, and has a beautiful grain and interesting color.

Victorian Ash has color variation from a color of cream or pale straw to pinkish highlights and some medium gray-brown colors. This hardwood undergoes a color change, where its variation reduces and different color tones become a uniform appearance.

This hardwood species has been traditionally used for shipbuilding, but recently has gained great appeal as flooring. Natural oils in the wood can interfere with stain, so it is recommended to either use a solvent before staining is attempted or to use water-based finishing. Invariably, True Teak will darken to a golden brown with light and oxygen exposure.

The Timborana wood species, Pseusopiptadenia psilostachya is similar to teak in that when fresh cut, the hardwood is a light, tan-yellow color which darkens to a tan-brown color. Through oxidation and sun exposure, reddish tones develop quickly over a period of 6 to 8 months. Timborana is found in Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia and Guyana.

This species, Astronium Lecointei is a boldly striped hardwood with an orange, reddish-brown background and chocolaty brown stripes. Tigerwood flourishes in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala and Mexico.

This wood is a beautiful species with tan-brown background with fine black striping. This hardwood works well with hand and machine tools despite the presence of gum pockets which interfere with sawing. Tiger’s Eye Walnut will change with age as its golden brown deepens to a darker brown under the black striping.

Tamarind is a hardwood with a uniform orange brown color very similar to Brazilian Cherry. This species is also ideal for flooring because it is extremely hard and durable, with a janka rating of 3000. The wood is therefore rated as very difficult to work because of its high density and high silica content. Tamarind is photosensitive and will darken gradually from the orange-brown after finishing to a darker reddish brown.

Sydney Blue Gum is a dense hardwood with a janka rating of 2025 and a distinctive color range that goes from dark, rich pink through deep red-brown. Sydney Blue Gum is photosensitive and will darken moderately, with a reduction in brightness, to a medium brownish red.

The European Sweet Chestnut is the ideal choice to replace the void left behind from the American Chestnut, which is now commercially extinct due to the chestnut blight. This hardwood does not hold up against too much traffic or wear, has a janka rating of 540, and must be sanded carefully to reach a bright polished finish.

This heavy, durable hardwood, Bowdichia Nitida, is an ideal wood for flooring. An unusual attribute for Sucupira wood relative to most species imports is that this hardwood will lighten in color with age.

This hardwood is a common trade name for Bubinga. To learn more about Bubinga, go here.

Striped Ebony is an attractive hardwood species with tan-brown coloring and fine black striping. With aging, Striped Ebony will darken from a golden brown to a darker brown under the black striping.