Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) and wear marks

James Ari

Dear DIYer's,

I am just about to order Jatoba engineered flooring with a 6 mm top layer. The company sent me a flawless (of course?) sample - of the oiled full wood version; they make their own engineered floorboards from that.

Today I went to an alternate flooring store around the corner and saw engineered Jatoba with pronounced, gray "scratches" (see attachment). The store owner reckoned that those gray "scratches" are standard for Jatoba, and become more extreme with time/exposure to sunlight.

Anyone noticed this? The alternative proposed is Cumaru, but narrower, shorter, more expensive....

Best,
James

Attached Thumbnails

 

woodman58

The wood looks like it has a bad finish on it. It is not from the sun.The sun will fade any wood over time. But, it will do it evenly across the board. If it were in a room it would be less fading as it got away from the sun. I would not buy wood from this retailer.

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James Ari

Thanks for your feedback, Woodman. What makes a bad finish - the oil, the application or even the manufacture of the flooring itself?

It's weird because the photo was taken at a high-end flooring store, which prides itself on only using German suppliers (I'm in Germany), whereas the flawless sample was from a discount place...

I believe the retailer said the marks were sapwood grains (but that still doesn't explain that horizontal mark) and that suppliers here normally use this stuff called Osmo Hard Wax...

Would it be appropriate or useful for me to send a copy of the photo to the original retailer I was planning to use, and asking what the chances were that the flooring would develop this over a couple of years?

woodman58

A bad finish could be alot of things from flacking to the finish being to thin. It looks like the sample in the pic is very worn. If this is a reputable dealer they need a new salesman. This is not sap wood. Sap wood is the wood at the outermost part of the tree under the bark. The wood is normally white. Not dotted. The finish in the pic looks like it has been rubbed off. If they are saying this is normal, go somewhere else. I have attached sites that have discriptions of the wood and one of American cedar that shows a good example of sap wood. The address to the first pic is very long, sorry.

http://www.westpennhardwoods.com/sho..._Aromatic.html

http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...fr=slv8-swat02

http://www.miragefloors.com/ENG/species-jatoba.php

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James Ari

Okay, thanks for taking the time.

James

sdsester

Have you thought about a quality (not discount supplier) bamboo floor? You can get it in both engineered and traditional plank flooring. It makes a great floor and you can get it in most any color. Strand bamboo will rival the South American hardwoods you are considering in hardness. You will not be pillaging a rainforest since bamboo is renewable. European Eucaplyptus is also renewable and would be another great possibility.

http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm...ptus-flooring/

http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm/bamboo-flooring/

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James Ari

sdsester, bamboo was an early contender. However I read that only two factories in China manufacture compressed bamboo, the rest is something like 80% glue, and as the wood is also going in the kitchen I didn't want to risk it.

I've ended up with raw t&g jatoba, and am now trying to find the right finish for it to prevent later problems.

I'm in a non-English speaking country and know nothing about woodworking, while my installer has never installed jatoba before and speaks little English...

So far, what I've found in the forums and online says:

Waterborne or oil-modified polyurethane finishes are the worst offenders, whereas good options are conversion varnish, universal/de-waxed shellac or moisture-cured urethane.

However, what type of varnish is conversion varnish exactly? Can someone name a big brand that might be sold overseas?

Big name brand for moisture-cured urethane?

Shellac is only really used for furniture here, and so might be quite expensive. Plus I would really like a matte, instead of glossy, floor if possible.

Is there such a thing as solvent-based polyurethane?

(I also posted this in the Hardwood Flooring forum, so sorry if you read this twice).

Thanks in advance,
James

Seattle2k

Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) will actually darken from the sunlight. As will Goncalo Alves (Tigerwood/Brazilian Koa).

Seattle2k

Yes, I just bought a small can of solvent(oil)-based wipe-on poly, to finish my window sills. Many manufacturers here in the US... http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/...g-polyurethane http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/...d-polyurethane

Awoodfloorguy

Scratches are not just a common thing. Sounds like a lame excuse to me.

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