Today, more and more people are looking to make their home exclusive by incorporating original materials in their building and renovation projects. Exotic woods that were once used solely in wood flooring are now being used to make wooden staircase components and hardwood mouldings. From a distinctive wood newel or nosing in either jatoba or cabreuva, to a complete wooden staircase, in something a bit wilder such as zebrawood or tigerwood.
Exotic wood species offer a variety of grains and colours. Many of these prized and stunning woods are extremely durable. Let’s take a trip and explore a few of these glamorous exotic wood species.
Jatoba Tree
The Jatoba tree is a large tree, commonly known as the Brazilian Cherry (although it is not a cherry tree). The Jatoba can reach heights of 130 ft. The Jatoba tree grows in southern Mexico and throughout Central America, as far south as northern Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.
Jatoba wood offers a golden lustre with an interwoven grain. When exposed to intense light, this exotic wood displays pronounced colour variations. This wood is evaluated at 2820 lbs of force on the Janka hardness test. This test measures the hardness of wood by measuring the force required to embed an 11.28 mm steel ball halfway into the wood. This test defines the ability of the wood to resist dents and wear. On the Janka test, American Cherry is rated at 950 lbs, Yellow Birch at 1260 lbs, Red Oak at 1290 lbs and Hard Maple at 1450 lbs. Jatoba is a wonderful alternative for high traffic and scuff areas such as stair treads, risers, nosings, newels and starting steps.
Zebrawood
This tree grows in tropical West Africa, the Guineo-Congolaise rainforest and evergreen coastal forest, and Cameroon. The zebrawood tree can grow to heights of 150 ft. This heavy hardwood displays a distinguishing black and white zebra stripe pattern. This very characteristic pattern makes this wood desirable for decorative and design accents such as custom wood mouldings, stair handrails and newels.
Over time, zebrawood changes colour slightly with the tan background becoming darker and more golden. Zebrawood offers a shiny appearance in a very hard wood. (1575 lbs Janka)
Tigerwood
Grown in Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala and Peru, Tigerwood displays an orange to red-brown background with brown-black striping. The striping varies from bold brush-like strokes to fine lines. With time, Tigerwood reveals an important colour change with a significant darkening of the background, making the striping subtler. This exotic wood is extremely hard (2160 lbs Janka). Tigerwood provides a very unique look when used in wood stair components such as starting steps, stair stringers or tread caps or when used in wood mouldings.
Tatajuba
The Tatajuba tree, grown in Brazil, is an extremely fast growing tree reaching maturity in a few decades. The wood is very shiny and its light colouring makes it perfect for use in wood mouldings, handrails, nosings and stair newels. Its 2220 lbs Janka rating ensures that this wood is durable and lasting.
Exotic wood stair components or wood mouldings can be used in any décor. Whether you are looking to add a touch of glamour to a traditional home or exceptional wood accents to a contemporary home, exotic wood stair components offer an out of the ordinary alternative. Visit Menuiserox to inquire about our exotic wood stair components and wood mouldings. Menuiserox is a FSC certified wood staircase manufacturer.
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6050397_jatoba-hardwood-description.html
http://www.fsc.org/