Renovating your home to look more modern doesn’t have to result in flipping the entire residence. Sometimes a home needs a simple refresh, such as adding new hardwood flooring. After years of living in the same house, old carpets become stained, odor-ridden, and worn out. As a result, switching to hardwood flooring would benefit a busy home.
So once you go through with installing hardwood flooring, it’s time to figure out what kind of hardwood you want to use. Thankfully, there are many different types of Brazilian hardwoods to choose from for the perfect atmosphere and theme you’re going for. Before you know it, your home will feel more inviting and have floors that will last for years to come.
What Is Brazilian Hardwood?
Before going over the types of Brazilian hardwoods and how they’re different, it’s necessary to cover the basic overview of Brazilian hardwood itself. Brazilian hardwood originates from Brazil and other nearby regions. It’s an exotic hardwood flooring material, providing many species.
Brazilian hardwood offers the highest density rank for homes with high foot traffic. Because it originates from South America, Brazilian hardwood can come at a higher cost depending on the source and brand. Some include a premium price tag due to limited availability and shipping costs. Even though it may cost more than other hardwood materials, you get high-quality hardwood flooring that will last for many years.
Benefits of Brazilian Hardwood
Brazilian hardwood comes with many benefits compared to other hardwood materials. The hardwoods’ density measurement comes from the Janka hardness scale. The Janka hardness scale is numerical values tested through a steel ball pressed into the wood until it’s depressed into half its thickness. So the higher the assigned number, the harder the wood is.
According to the Janka hardness scale, Brazilian woods sit in the mid-2000s to mid-3000s, making them among the hardest and sturdiest woods on the market. Because of the high rating in hardness, you can expect them to last around 30 years or more if correctly maintained. Additionally, Brazilian hardwood is incredibly versatile, such as being heat-resistant. This makes them excellent radiant flooring bases for all seasons. Lastly, it can go through multiple refinishing sessions for a lifelong pristine look.
Types of Brazilian Hardwood
Brazilian hardwood offers many different species that can make any homeowner happy. There are five notable kinds of Brazilian hardwood: Brazilian Walnut (Ipe), Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), Brazilian Oak (Garapa), Brazilian Teak (Cumaru), and Tigerwood. They come in various colors, dramatic and bold floorings, and make any home feel exciting. Plus, Brazilian hardwood is beautiful to look at and provides durable flooring for years to come.
Brazilian Walnut (Ipe)
Brazilian Walnut, also known as Ipe, is nearly the hardest, most durable wood available. It has a Janka rating of 3,680 and has a Class A rating in fire resistance alongside notable substances like steel and concrete. Brazilian Walnut comes in plenty of colors, from near-black to olive-brown tones. Additionally, it resists moisture, fungus, and insects, such as termites.
Brazilian Walnut also provides toughness that makes sawing difficult and challenging for sanding without causing scratches. However, Brazilian Walnut is hard to come by and high in demand for its superior quality because of decreased availability. So it’s essential that your Brazilian Walnut comes from an ethical and legal source if you plan on purchasing it for your home.
Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)
Brazilian Cherry, also known as Jatoba, has a Janka rating of 2,820, making it a dense and hardwood material. Because of its density, it’s hard to use hand tools on it. An important note is that you must sand it carefully to avoid marring it.
Brazilian Cherry comes harvested in different colors, such as salmon-pink, yellow, or tan. As the wood settles in sunlight for a considerable time, it will deepen the color toward a rich reddish tone. It’s a beautiful choice to add to every home, giving almost any room a warm and inviting atmosphere. It also makes for beautiful cabinetry and furniture accents.
Brazilian Oak (Garapa)
With a Janka rating of 1,912, Brazilian Oak makes a great addition to the home. Brazilian Oak, also referred to as Garapa, closely resembles domestic oak, mimicking tan to medium-brown tones. However, once it sits out in the sun for a considerable amount of time, it deepens its natural colors and brings out eye-catching red highlights.
Like many other Brazilian wood materials, Brazilian Oak offers significant durability for years to come. It also makes great furniture, indoor construction, and cabinetry for every room. Additionally, it has high bending strength that works perfectly for high-stress boards and high foot traffic.
Brazilian Teak (Cumaru)
Brazilian Teak, also known as Cumaru or Brazilian Chestnut, adds natural beauty to the home. It’s a great go-to flooring, providing more resistance than regular teak wood. Because its unique beauty doesn’t require staining, it naturally comes with red-brown and yellow-brown tones that work with any decorative scheme.
Coming in with a Janka rating of a high 3,540, it’s three times stronger than regular red oak wood. It provides the necessary density to take a beating, and you can refinish it multiple times. Lastly, Brazilian Teak is naturally oily, making it stain- and moisture-resistant.
Tigerwood
Tigerwood, which comes from Paraguay, Brazil, and Uruguay, is a one-of-a-kind wood material you won’t regret purchasing. It has unique banding patterns in chocolate-brown colors woven through deep gold tones. It’s an eye-catching and beautiful wood that makes excellent flooring and works wonderfully for paneling, shutters, and furniture.
It also has a Janka rating of 2,160, making it sturdy. Like Brazilian Teak, Tigerwood is an oily wood that prevents moisture and decay. Although it may prove challenging to cut, it makes a great home flooring option.
Where To Find Hardwood Online
Finding Brazilian hardwood online isn’t as difficult as one would think. Although it’s more difficult to find Brazilian Oak, other materials, like Brazilian Cherry and Tigerwood, are more accessible to the public. You can even find closeout wood flooring for great prices if you’re on a budget.
Hardwoods4Less provides an extensive catalog for any hardwood material you’re looking for. If you have any questions about our flooring, please reach out to us today, and we’ll gladly help you.
