StewartFloor Blog

Hello from The Woodman.  Welcome back to the name game in the world of wood flooring.  Are you shopping for Brazilian Cherry and been told about Brazilian Cherry Lite being SURPRISE a lighter colored Brazilian Cherry floor or a special color sort?  Well, if you really want Brazilian Cherry Flooring, commonly called Jatoba, don’t waste your time because you guessed it – Brazilian Cherry Lite IS NOT Brazilian Cherry/Jatoba, it is upto several completely different botanical species.

The Woodman likes to call it what it is.  We do not make up names or associate names with lesser known species, often which are less expensive and may not have the technical characteristics of a much more widely known species of wood.  Obviously, this is a marketing ploy and one which really confuses the homeowner, designer and architect.  From the business side it is easy to see why it happens, take species no one has been introduced to yet or not commonly known/accepted, put a name people relate too and off to the races.

If you want a Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Floor, we will be happy to sell you a Jatoba floor, botanically known as Hymenaea Courbaril, which is what everyone knows as Brazilian Cherry.  If you want Tauari or Curupixa or Guajara, we will tell you exactly what they are and we will never call them Brazilian Cherry Lite.  These are nice species and diversity is good for the forest and for the market, but they have no relation to “Brazilian Cherry.”

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Ever wonder what is involved in manufacturing your new wood floor?  What does it take to make the journey from the forest to your home?  There are many steps in the process which must be carefully followed in order to insure you receive a high quality floor which will provide decades of enjoyment.

All trees must be surveyed, often with high tech tools and satellites, in order to develop a cutting plan based on approved government extraction plans.  Once this is done, the trees must be transported long distances via river or road through the jungle to the flooring manufacturer.  Sounds simple, but given the terrain and lack of infrastructure in some areas, this is an enormous challenge depending on the time of the year.  From February to June each year there are heavy rains which make this very difficult, if not impossible and always tightens supply of these species.  Once it is sawn into “blanks” or surfaced into 4 side lumber, it is carefully stacked with aligned sticks and prepared for the kiln dryers.  Drying specifications are different for each species as they are all unique.  This is like the difference of baking cookies compared to a cake.  Over drying causes technical issues with the wood.

Once out of the kilns, it’s time to further process the lumber and prepare for molding it into flooring.  This may sound simple, but is highly technical, especially if making microbevel 4 side production to later be prefinished.  The quality of the drying plays into the milling significantly.  Flat and straight lumber obviously contributes to a quality milled flooring product.  Product is inspected and re-inspected while milling and before packaging.  It’s again further inspected during packaging and randomly “racked out” on a flat stone or metal table to check fit, tolerances and how it will install once at a jobsite.

One never looks at a tree the same again when you realize all the technical knowledge used to produce flooring.  It’s a challenging field and obviously one which continues to grow as our love affair with wood continues to grow. 

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Please check out our gorgeous 3/4″ x 3″ solid prefinished Brazilian Walnut or Ipe flooring.  In stock and ready to beautify your home.  As always, we are direct container importers and own what we sell.  This picture is of our flooring on the grading table after prefinishing.  We don’t tint or stain our products.

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Gorgeous & Unique Interlocked Sucupira Grain Pattern

Stewartfloor is excited to once again offer Tiete Chestnut/ Sucupira Prefinished solid wood flooring.  We are offering this exceptionally elegant choice in 3/4″ x 3-1/4″ width with lengths of 1′ to 7′.  As with everything we sell, we directly import this product from one of our longtime suppliers.  No middlemen and no tax!  Call us today.

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All you Amendoim fans out there, call stewartfloor at 866-780-7839 to check our current inventory on 3/4″ x 3″, 3/4″ x 4″ and 3/4″ x 5″ Prefinished Amendoim.  This species has become more and more popular and difficult to find, we are importing all the containers we can from our supplier.  We keep a very good stock position on this gorgeous straw brown/reddish hued unique hardwood floor.  Why pay retail?  Why not buy your Amendoim flooring from a direct container importer?  We ship nationwide and you pay NO TAX!  Samples are available upon request.

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Wood is like no other natural product on earth!  Hardwood flooring adds an undeniable warmth to any home or commercial space.  Wood flooring has many advantages when compared to other flooring materials such as carpet, among them are health benefits.  Unlike carpet, wood flooring is allergy friendly and easy to maintain.

When choosing among various wood species for your interior, there are several key points to keep in mind to guarantee your satisfaction.

1.  Color is the first consideration given the fact that flooring is the major canvas for overall interior design.  One simply cannot underestimate the importance of color and its impact in your overall design goals.

2.  Once the color range has been decided, your personal lifestyle is an important consideration.  This comes into play considering the density of one species over another and practical wear and tear.  Tropical species have a major advantage in this consideration when compared with traditional domestic species.  The species offered at StewartFloor range from 25% harder up to 3 times harder when compared to domestic species.  What does this mean to you?  Although like all woods, they will still dent and scratch, tropical woods will do this to a lesser extent compared to domestic species such as Oak & Maple.

3.  Species of wood are as unique as individuals.  It’s important to consider your climate and how one species behaves in your climate compared to another species.  Wood is hygroscopic and this means it adapts to the environment it is in.  During the winter months with the heater on to maintain a pleasant environment, wood will shrink and this is what creates the “gaps” you commonly see in the floor.  There is nothing wrong with the floor and it is not defective, it’s simply shrinking due to the dryness in the air.  In the summer months, more humidity means the wood swells again and the gaps fill in.  Some woods shrink less than others and are more stable than others, if this is a critical point for you, then comparing species stability should be on your list of considerations in selecting the right species of wood for your new floor.

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Are you looking for the ultimate wood flooring expression and a plantation product?  We have partnered with an existing supplier on bringing Plantation Teak (Tectona Grandis) from plantation in Brazil to the North American Market.  We will be offering 3/4″ X 3-1/4″ X 1′ to 7′ as well as 3/4″ X 5″ X 1′ to 7′ lengths.  Product will arrive in July, inquire today to be among the first taking advantage of this offering.  Teak is the ultimate hardwood with a great history unmatched by all species other than Big Leaf Mahogany or Genuine Mahogany as it is called.  As you see below, we are really working hard to bring products to market in direct containers to save you money!  Teak blanks to be processed into flooring shown below.  Watch this space for an even bigger surprise…..

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Stewartfloor Flooring being Boxed in Paraguay

Does the person you are speaking to actually own the flooring he/she is proposing to sell to you?  Do they have any investment outside of buying the flooring from an importer and selling it to you?  Here at Stewartfloor we are involved in every process along the way.  I purchase directly from the manufacturer in the country of origin.  We have coordinated a cohesive package of the most unique and sought after tropical species available and coordinated all the trim work to match for your convenience.  All products are run to my specification in Brazil, Paraguay and Peru based on my 13 years of experience in the Exotic wood business and processed by a few of the finest manufacturer partners.  These partners have been selected based on their quality approach and respect for nature.  All products are finished to our specifications, packaged with foam between the layers to protect your investment and packaged in our Stewartfloor branded box.  Do we have to do it like this, no, but it is my personal commitment to you.

Stewartfloor Product Prefinished in North Carolina

Stewartfloor Container Which Has Just Been Prefinished To Our Specifications

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Why should you buy your prefinished exotic wood flooring from stewartfloor?  I am a direct importer and actually control the quality from start to finish.  Here I am at our North American prefinish partner inspecting and “racking out” some Brazilian Teak/Cumaru which is being run.  At stewartfloor, we know what we sell and sell what we know! As you can see, I prefer to take a hands on approach to what I do so that I can be properly informed when discussing with my clients.

Brazilian Teak/Cumaru going into the sander. The first step of prefinishing.

Yours Truly, Sean Stewart inspecting and "racking out" prefinished hardwood from the finish line.

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Brazilian Walnut flooring is the most durable floor here at stewartfloor.  Ipe is the common name for this species and it is found throughout South America.  Lapacho is also often included in this general marketing name and is found in Paraguay.  Lapacho belongs to the same botanical family as Ipe, they are brothers.  This species is made up of warm brown tones as well as some reddish and green tones depending on where it was grown and harvested.  This species is equally suited in a traditional or rustic interior design as well as a very modern urban environment.  Truly a miracle of nature, it is Class A Fire Rated believe it or not which is the same as concrete & steel!  We offer our Brazilian Walnut Prefinished Flooring in a lower gloss finish to bring out the fine graining inherent in this beauty.  Call today to check our inventory of Brazilian Walnut Prefinished Premium/First Grade flooring and accessories.  Beauty and durability all in the same pacakge!

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