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.

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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StewartFloor is committed to preserving the forests of South America.  In Brazil, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) monitors and regulates the forestry industry. StewartFloor promotes sustainable forest practices and is committed to securing timber that is selectively harvested and inspected under the governments guidelines.  StewartFloor  supports only manufacturing partners who are committed to sustainable forestry practices and are committed to the social and economic well being of their employees as well as obeying the law.  Following these practices provides well being for communities and employees as well as ensuring that the forests live on to provide economic benefit for local communities for generations in the future.