Floor Talk!

Question:

Does Brazilian Cherry get darker with age? If I have a dark cherry floor and need to refinish a large area, should I stain the newly refinished area the original color and let it darken over time to blend with the existing floor

Response:

Brazilian Cherry definitely gets darker with age. In my experience, it is not good to try to “match” the portion of the floor that has already aged because it will age, too. (and it rarely works out where it is a good match – it usually looks like you tried to match it and you missed by a shade) Eventually, the new stained floor will be darker than the original and the original can never “catch up” because it doesn’t have stain on it. It does take time, but if there is no stain on the original floor, it is best to wait for the natural aging process to take place. The only consideration I would make for staining to match is if the new area gets NO sunlight and you have an extremely experienced refinisher.

Have you had a similar experience? Tell us your story!

FAQ’s about Brazilian Cherry

• Brazilian Cherry is the most popular hardwood flooring import from Brazil
• Known in South America as Jatoba
• It’s known for it’s hardness and durability
• Opened grained like oak flooring
• Harder than oak flooring
• It’s a great choice for homes and commercial applications
• Sold in solid form as well as engineered
• Sold in multiple widths including 3″ and 5″
• Ranges in color are expected and are considered part of the beauty of the product
• Features dark brown and black stripes with an orange or redish body
• Brazilian cherry floors that are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified are available

Question: Can I get a laminate wood in the kitchen or will urine from my senior pet absorb into the seams? Also, if put at entrances, will the laminate scratch?

Answer: Although laminate flooring has a tough finish coating, it is still primarily made up of wood so it may absorb pet urine which can ruin the floor. If you do choose laminate, your best bet is to clean up any spills or urine immediately, preventing penetration into the floor. You need to be very careful, though about the places where you might miss accidents.

For the scratching problem, laminate is scratch “resistant”, but is not scratch “proof”. Most laminate products are abrasion resistant, impact resistant, stain resistant and even resistant to cigarette burns. If you choose laminate, you may want to choose a product like Quick-Step’s or Pergo’s distressed products to hide any scratches. Also, most laminate companies have touch up kits for scratches. If the scratch or damage is really bad, a professional installer may be able to replace individual boards. (be sure to save leftover material)

You can see some examples of Quick Step or Pergo here. If you have questions, feel free to ask us and help others with answers to your same questions!

Every day, I look forward to receiving the email from Colour Lovers, Color + Design Community for Creative Inspiration announcing a new post. Today, they decided to write about our world, hardwood. In this post, they display, describe and indentify the most colorful domestic and exotic hardwoods. For the full post, click here. Be prepared to be surprised at the amazing range of colors.

Terra Mai reclaimed hardwoods has just moved into a new location that is helping contribute to making NYC a greener place. TerraMai shares the space with two other progressive green companies, YRG Consultants and Deep Green Living. Sharing space with two of the top sustainability consulting firms in the country helps keep them connected to the latest and greatest in sustainable design and building. Setting up shop in Manhattan also allows them to better serve their growing group of New York and other East Coast clients.

You can give them a call at 800.220.9062 to schedule a presentation at your firm or to visit their new office.

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History

• Cork is not a new fad, it can be traced back to ancient Egypt. In the 18th century, Dom Perignon used cork for champagne making it a significant discovery that would lead to many other uses of cork.

• A law in the 1930’s called “The 9 Year Law” was passed to keep cork from being harvested any sooner than every 9 years. The tree has to reach 60 cm in circumference before it can be harvested. The first harvest from a cork tree can only occur at age 25.

• Portugal is the largest producer of cork today.

Harvesting

• Cork is harvested by hand from the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus Suber) that grows primarily around the Mediterranean Basin no less than every 9 years.

• After the cork is stripped, the planks are sorted and stacked for 6 months in the forest. The exposure to air, sun, rain and wind during this time trigger chemical transformations that improve the quality of the cork. Then the bark of the mature cork trees are ground up, mixed with resin, processed into blocks, baked, compressed and cut into tiles or planks.

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