Other factors to be considered when choosing wood for a floor are the hardness of the species, its dimensional stability under various climactic conditions, floor area to be covered, the kind of traffic it will take, and the relative cost of the wood, among other things

• Moisture and extreme temperature changes can cause solid wood to shrink and expand, potentially causing gaps between boards during colder or dryer seasons.
• 5/16" thin profile solid wood can be installed directly over concrete; 3/4" can't.
• All solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished if needed (required every 15-20 years).
• All urethane coated floors can be recoated as needed to renew the surface of the floor. This is more economical than sanding and refinishing.
• Wood is a natural material that features changes in colour and tone. The board-to-board colour variation is more pronounced in some species, less in others.

Merbau

Scientific Name:

Origin:
Merbau grows in the Indo-Malayan region, as well as in the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and many of the western Pacific islands. "Merbau" is the Malayan term for this wood. In the Philippines it is known as "Ipil."

Appearance:
When freshly cut, the heartwood of merbau is a yellowish to orange-brown colour, but then darkens to brown or red brown. The grain of this coarse-textured wood varies from straight to interlocked or wavy. One of the distinctive properties of this wood is that surface of the boards may have yellow "flecking" in the pores; thus, when finished, the wood may appear almost flecked with gold.

Properties:
Merbau is almost as stable as teak. And although comparable to hickory in strength, merbau has a much lower density. It has excellent dimensional stability and is highly resistant to termites.

Janka Hardness: 1925
Merbau is one of the most hard and durable wood floor options. It is just under one third harder than red oak, is roughly eighteen percent harder than hard maple, about five percent harder than wenge, and approaches seventy-eight percent of santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.

Workability:
This wood gums saw teeth and dulls cutting edges, so sawing is difficult, and the use of carbide tools when working merbau is recommended. It sands and finishes well and has good holding ability. Care must be taken with merbau, as contact with moisture or iron and ferrous metals can stain the wood black.

Principal Uses:
Flooring is just one of the many uses for this durable wood. It can also be found in furniture, joinery, panelling, decorative woodwork, cabinets, and musical instruments. Merbau is also a source for dyes

Origin:
Indonesia

Appearance:
The sapwood of teak is white to pale yellow, while the heartwood is dark golden-brown to dark golden-yellow to rich brown in color with darker chocolate-coloured brown streaks. The species has a straight, occasionally wavy grain and is fairly coarse and uneven in texture. The wood itself can be greasy with shiny white pockets..

Properties:
Teak has a high resistance to decay and termite attack. In fact the oil secreted by the wood is reported to be a natural insect repellent. The wood remains smooth under friction and is reported to have the odour of leather when freshly cut. Chestnut is difficult and time consuming to dry properly.

Janka Hardness: 1000
As a flooring option, teak is a somewhat hard and durable wood. It falls between black cherry and black walnut in hardness, is about forty percent harder than Douglas fir, is thirty-one percent softer than sugar maple, is roughly sixty-nine percent as hard as hard maple, and is just over forty-five percent as hard as santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.

Workability:
Teak can be somewhat difficult to saw properly due to its severe dulling effect on cutting edges. Pre-boring is suggested yet the wood holds nails well once applied. Glue holds well and easily with teak flooring. This species sands good but can clog sandpaper. Solvent

 

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