Hardwood
Hardwood
Teak
IPE
Eucalyptus
Hardwood
Kamsource supplies tropical hardwood from tree plantations in Costa Rica and Brazil that are responsibly grown and cause no damage to the rainforest. These woods are used in a variety of ways which furniture is the most obvious, but hardwood flooring, boat fixtures, ornamental wood pieces, and other wood products all may use these tree species.
Here are some of the most common tropical species we offer at Kamsource:
Teak
With its superb stability, good strength properties, easy workability—and most of all, its outstanding resistance to decay and rot—it’s no wonder that Teak ranks among the most desired lumbers in the world.
Heartwood tends to be a golden or medium brown, with color darkening with age. Grain is straight, though it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked. Coarse, uneven texture and moderate to low natural luster.
Due to its high oil content, tight grain, and high tensile strength, Teak is particularly suitable where weather resistance is desired. It is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture and boat decks. It is also used for indoor flooring, countertops, and as an exterior for indoor finishings.
It can be easily worked with using both hand and machine tools. And it dresses finely to give a very smooth finish. Teak contains a high level of silica, which has a blunting effect on cutting edges.
IPE
Ipe is a wood of extremes: extremely dense and durable, as well as extremely difficult to work. Heartwood can vary in color from reddish brown, to a more yellowish olive brown or darker blackish brown. It has a fine to medium texture, with the grain varying from straight to irregular or interlocked. Moderate natural luster.
Its incredible hardness and strength make it well suited for flooring applications. Though it is often referred to as the “Brazilian Walnut,” it is not related to actual Walnut. It got this name from the Native Americans living in the region. Ipe’s naturally durable and weather-resistant characteristics and incredible strength is why it is primarily used as indoor and outdoor decking or flooring. As a matter of fact, a well-maintained exterior decking made from strong and durable Ipe wood can last up to 40 years.
Our Ipe wood is sometimes available in boards for furniture or general use as well.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus also grows in South America, where it was imported to Brazil in the early 1900s. The heartwood is red to reddish-brown, and darkens as it seasons. Its sapwood is pale cream. The grain of this tree is slightly interlocked, with sometimes ripply or fiddleback patterns. It has a medium to coarse texture.
Eucalypts are evergreen hardwoods, shedding leaves continuously throughout the year. They are moderately resistant to termites, but susceptible to marine borers and pinhole borers. Eucalyptus is used for all types of construction, fine as well as utilitarian, light and heavy and it is often made into flooring.
