StewartFloor Blog

Shopping for a new wood floor?  Are you dreaming about that gorgeous American Cherry or Walnut floor which matches your kitchen cabinets or bedroom ensemble?

Something often overlooked in this choice is the wood flooring species and durability.  An educated consumer needs to consider the hardness of the species they are considering.  Do you like the species because of the grain or because of the color?  Generally speaking, we choose a floor because of color and not because of a species particular grain pattern.  If this is the case for you, please do your homework and analyze your own lifestyle.

American Cherry and Walnut are very prestigious hardwoods and we certainly have an affection for them in North America, but they are very soft.  This fact doesn’t so much matter for the dining room table or for your bedroom, but when you are walking on it, it makes all the difference in the world.  All woods dent due to their cell structure.  Denting occurs when this cell structure is crushed.  Consider this fact, a 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch.  An exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 pounds per square inch.  These types of impact will dent any floor surface.

Analyzing your lifestyle and household when making a flooring choice will help assure your longterm satisfaction.  Expectations are everything, so arm yourself with the facts in order to make the best decision for you.

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Brazilian Walnut Flooring is a gorgeous dark hued flooring choice.  Dark browns with occasional deep reds or dark greens makes for a luxurious and rich wood floor which mellows over time.  This floor looks amazing in both modern and traditional environments.  Brazilian Walnut Flooring is one of the most dense hardwood species in the world and unbelievably, Class A fire rated, the same as concrete and Steel!  Choosing this floor guarantees you a floor of unmatched sophistication with three times the hardness of Red Oak.  For once, you have both desire and practicality in one!

Brazilian Walnut / Ipe Tree in Nature

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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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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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Stewart Floor is proud to be able to offer this truly unique tropical hardwood floor.  Although sometimes referred to as Brazilian Oak, this species grows in Paraguay not Brazil.  Amendoim features a tight knot and swirled grain which separates it from all other tropical species as truly unique in a straw brown/reddish hue.  Stewart Floor finishes this with a natural finish rather than tinting it with a red tint to blend the color like many of our competitors.  This is a truly unique warm species which expresses itself unlike any other tropical flooring.  Call today to learn our current inventory of Amendoim which we offer in 3/4″ x 3″ solid prefinished as well as in 3/4″ x 4″ and 5″ widths with 1′ to 7′ lengths.

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Stewartfloor has just prefinished a new container of 3″ Clear Brazilian Walnut/Ipe.  Please call us at 866-780-7839 x5 to inquire about this beautiful Brazilian Walnut/Ipe Prefinished flooring.

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Flooring is the foundation or canvas for all interior design.  Wood Flooring provides a naturally warm and allergy free environment.  The species offered here at stewartfloor offer natural depth of color without artificial stains and this provides for longterm optimal appearance over time.  Flooring is an investment and think about it, how many floors are you going to purchase in your lifetime?  Buy your wood floor from a direct container importer working directly with the manufacturer in South America.

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Awareness about environmental issues is high and likely to trend higher.  Wood flooring is the only flooring option on the market which is completely sustainable.  In fact, wood flooring has the least impact on our environment.  Wood is carbon neutral, uses fewer fossil fuels in its production, uses less water consumption in its production and provides the longest service life of all flooring options.  You can find additional details regarding this under the “environmental pledge” section of the website.

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