Dramatic and tough

Tigerwood Flooring is extremely tough

Tigerwood flooring is a true hardwood and very dense. Although the Janka rating on any kind of hardwood can vary according to where the wood is harvested, Tigerwood has a rating that hovers around 2000, which is quite hard.

Installing Tigerwood flooring can present some challenges. The fact that it is so hard makes it kind of a bear to cut. Carbide tipped power tools are required for Tigerwood installation. Tigerwood is 170% stronger than red oak.

Origins of Tigerwood flooring

Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay are the leading producers of Tigerwood flooring, with smaller quantities coming from other Latin American nations. Sometimes the wood is referred to as Brazilian Tigerwood regardless of origin. Because the wood is imported, this exotic hardwood can fetch a fairly handsome price. But due to the unusual nature of the wood, it can impart a real feel of luxury to any room in which it is installed.

Other names for tigerwood are goncal alves, muiracatiara, astronium and cuta tigre as well as the aforementioned ‘zebrawood’. Because it is such a very hard wood, it is long-lasting and will be an enduring feature of your home.

Caring for Tigerwood Floors

Once the Tigerwood flooring is installed, caring for it isn’t much different from other types of hardwood floors. As with our care articles it is worth repeating that you should use mats at all outside entries, sweep before you mop, avoid harsh chemicals, vacuum with proper attachments and care and use as little water as possible when cleaning your floors.

Tigerwood flooring, like any hardwood floor will darken in tone with age and more so if it is exposed to a great deal of natural light. The contrast that Tigerwood is prized for can fade slightly as the contrast between the light and dark hues in the wood lessens. Therefore, as we have advised in our care articles about other types of flooring, care should be taken to draw the curtains when the sun is bearing down directly on your Tigerwood floor.

As far as exotic hardwood species go, dramatic Tigerwood is really an eye catcher. It has a base color of golden yellow to golden brown with highly contrasting streaks throughout. Deep black or chocolate brown stripes serve to create a truly unique. A wonderful living material, Tigerwood will mature with time and the colors will become mellower and a bit more subtle.

Shopping on line for wood flooring — Know what you are searching for!

Oak flooring, laminate flooring, bamboo flooring, walnut flooring and all the exotic woods you can name are just a click away and it’s so easy to compare prices when you can select a feature that lets you put your selections in ascending or descending price order. You can sort by brand names like Armstrong, Anderson or Mohawk Industries. Or if you know you want solid wood flooring, you can filter for that choice. There are a number of different engineered wood flooring options as well. There are nearly two dozen installation types to choose from with every imaginable combination of glue, staples, nails and snap in place tongue and groove.

I may be stating the obvious, but when you shop on line, you should make your searches count so that you can get the most out of them. By putting your search term in quotes in the search engine’s query box, you will get results returned that are an exact match to what you have typed. For example, if you type in “white oak laminate flooring” you will get results for that type of flooring.

Sort by length, width or thickness if you know specifically what dimensions your planking needs to be. By far the  largest choice is in materials.  And species!  I counted over 168 different kinds of wood on one amazing site.  I know a lot about hardwood floors, but I was astonished at the number of woods I had never even heard of. Nogal , orosi  and sakura woods are three I didn’t recognize. The scary part about these was the ‘call for prices’ part of the description.

Showroom versus Shopping on line for wood flooring

I don’t know about you, but I get a bit nervous when I have a salesperson shadowing me ready to pounce when I pause at this or that display. I appreciate being able to see and feel the flooring materials, but many times I have had to ask the price of each and every option I take a peek at.  Or, if I go to some of the big box home improvement stores, I wind up getting no help at all in spite of advertising to the contrary!  Sometimes, I find the best approach is to spend some time in a showroom where I can establish the look and feel of what I want and then return home and shop on line for wood flooring at the best price and quality I can find.

But if you want something out of the ordinary, and you’re willing to pay for it, exotic hardwoods from Brazil, Asia, Africa, or Australia can create a dramatic, distinctive room that’s one of a kind.

Jatoba.  Also known as Brazilian cherry, Jatoba is one of the most popular exotic hardwoods.  It comes from Mexico, Central America, and other South American countries, as well as Brazil.  The reddish brown color eventually develops a rich, golden luster.  And the dense, interlocking grain makes it very stable.  Almost twice as hard as red oak, Jatoba is one of the most scratch-resistant hardwoods.

Mahogany.  Grown from Mexico to Argentina, mahogany features a fine, even texture, a dark, reddish-brown color, and an interlocking grain.  Santos mahogany is extremely hard, and it creates a sophisticated, rich looking floor.

Teak.  This Indonesian hardwood has a beautiful golden hue that’s rich and warm.  It’s not as hard as other species, but it is very resistant to termites, fungus, and decay.  The wavy grain is fairly coarse and the texture is rough.  Since much of the old-growth teak has already been harvested, teak is more expensive than it used to be.

Tigerwood.  Grown mostly in South America, tigerwood features a distinctive, wavy grain that resembles the stripes of a tiger.  The reddish-orange color makes a real statement.  And tigerwood is extremely hard.  It’s also very resistant to beetles and other pests.

Merbau.  Native to the Philippines and Indonesia, Merbau darkens to a beautiful, rich brown. The grain can be straight, wavy, or interlocked.  Yellow flecks in the pores make Merbau look like it’s been dusted with gold.  It’s very stable, and resistant to termites and other pests.

Wenge.  This African wood has become more popular in the last few years.  Aged wenge is nearly black, and it can be used to very dramatic effect.  Extremely hard, it’s ideal for high traffic areas, but it does show dust, lint, and blonde pet hair.

Sapele.  Lustrous and finely textured, Sapele has an interlocking, wavy grain.  Most of it comes from Africa, and it wears well once installed.  But loose boards can warp if not stored correctly.

Zebrawood.  If you want a truly unique wood floor, zebrawood has dramatic stripes that are enhanced by quarter sawing.  Color ranges from straw to brown with stripes that are nearly black.  Zebrawood is hard, lustrous, and termite resistant.