May 3, 2012. Paul Hixon
Tigerwood is made from goncalo alves tree that particularly grows in neotropical forest in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala and Mexico. It is known for its unique striated pattern and background color that ranges from light cream to rich reddish-orange hue.
The unique striated pattern and the reddish-orange background resemble the tigers skin thus the name tigerwood. Other unique feature of tigerwood is the incredible resistance to beetles, moist, and decay. Furthermore it is naturally oily which makes the wood plank flooring easier to be polished.
Tigerwood flooring is very durable and compared to other hardwood it has an excellent ability to resist beetles and other insects. It’s a harder type of hardwood compared to oak wood as evidenced by Janka hardness score of 1850. It is also resistant to rot and decay and can therefore last longer before it needs to be replaced.
Another good quality of tigerwood flooring is that it is naturally oily and therefore only needs less effort to polish. However, it is difficult to saw and therefore needs a special tool to cut it without damaging. Sanding and drying the wood must be done with extra care to avoid damaging the wood plank.
Probably the most unique quality tigerwood flooring is the unique striation pattern that complements perfectly with the background. The striation is usually dark brown in color and blends in with tan to red tone of the background. Naturally a tigerwood’s color changes to darker contrast which would make the striation more subtle. For example a reddish tan overtime will turn into a darker red color.
Tigerwood flooring can be expensive due to the fact that most of the time it is imported from South America. Although it can be costly it is very durable, resist decay and can last for a long time. Installing a tigerwood flooring would give the room elegance as well as an exotic charm.
Updated May 3, 2012. Published April 8, 2011. Paul Hixon
