Exotic Hardwoods - What are they and what do they look like?

I love hardwood.  Besides the fact that it's beautiful and can improve the value of the home, I love how it can redefine the house - make it feel all new again.  One of the things I really enjoy with hardwood is showing customers the range of options, especially when I show them ones they never even knew existed.

Exotic hardwoods, which are mostly grown in South America (esp Brazil), are rapidly growing in popularity.  They are much harder than those grown in the US.  For perspective, Red Oak which is the standard of hardness is 1,290 on the hardness scale, while Brazilian Cherry is 2,350 almost twice as hard.  And, on the other extreme is Brazilian Teak and Brazilian Walnut which are over 3,600 - almost 3 times as hard as oak.

But the main reason customer love the exotic hardwood is because of their beauty. They are so rich in color and the smooth graining is exquisite.  Just take a look at this Brazilian Cherry.

I also love this Santos Mahogany.  On the Janka scale, it's 2,200.  It's stunning.

Some customers prefer hardwoods that are brownish rather than reddish.  Those customers often love Brazilian Walnut (left) or Brazilian Teak which is a bit lighter (right).

A much rarer find is Timborana.  It's a still in the reddish/orangish family, but it's lighter than a Brazilian Cherry.  I don't think this picture does it justice...it's really next to impossible to get this to come out right on the camera.  But, when you see it in real life, parts of it shimmer and it shimmers differently as you walk across it.

Another great feature of the exotic hardwoods is that there is high color variation from plank to plank.  Some customers don't like this as they prefer uniformity, but the majority of my customers love this feature as it celebrates the natural beauty of a natural product - each plank is different  - both the color and the graining.

Exotic hardwoods tend to come in wider planks as wider planks are more stylish and make the room look larger.  But, these woods are not for everyone.  If you are more of an oak person and want to match what you already have, oak may be your wood.  Or, if you are a green person and are environmentally conscious, bamboo may be a great selection for you (see my previous post on bamboo).