Do you want hardwood floors that are golden to amber in color and eco-friendly? Cumaru flooring, also known as Brazilian teak or Brazilian chestnut, might be the species for you! Rising in popularity, cumaru is a very tight grain, making it a great option for more formal areas of your home, like the living room in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood above.
Brazilian Teak/Cumaru Flooring Advantages
What do we love about Brazilian teak? In addition to their natural beauty, cumaru flooring is one of the hardest species of wood available; this means that in addition to being extremely durable, it can give your home some additional insulation and the dense, tight grain helps you keep your hardwood floors clean.
Cumaru is also known for being oily. What does this mean to you as a homeowner? As eHow explains, “The oil doesn’t allow water to permeate, which gives the wood a natural resistance to stains.”
Brazilian teak is also rarely stained, allowing the natural beauty to shine through. The rich red-brown and yellow-brown hues make interior decorating options endless, and as the cumaru flooring matures, the dramatic shading evens out depending on the type of light it’s exposed to.
Lastly, it’s easy to find FSC certified cumaru, so you can rest assured that your hardwood floors were created with the environment in mind.
Brazilian Teak/Cumaru Flooring Disadvantages
At San Jose Hardwood Floors, we like to help our clients make an educated decision. When it comes to cumaru flooring, the main disadvantage is costs. Because it’s so strong and durable, it’s also heavy and harder to work with. eHow explains, “As of 2011, according to Advantage Lumber, an online lumber retailer, Brazilian teak wood costs a little more than $5 per [square] foot. Ash wood in the same dimensions costs $3.20 per [square] foot, while No. 2 grade cherry costs only $1.25.”
It’s important you’re also aware that not all cumaru is harvested with the environment in mind, so make sure you look for the FSC certified label before purchasing your Brazilian teak floors.
Want to know more about Brazilian teak/cumaru flooring? Come visit our showroom or contact us today for your free in-home quote!