The Highest Quality Unfinished Flooring from Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia
No other product has been able to replace solid hardwood flooring as the most durable and beautiful floor available.
Solid unfinished flooring can be sanded and refinished many times, offering a floor which will last a lifetime.
Our flooring is precision milled with the highest quality equipment available. Our full time quality control and technical staff ensure
the highest standards of fit and finish.
We specialize in unfinished tropical hardwood flooring from South America, including Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia.
Superior Kiln Drying of Tropical Woods - Brazilian Cherry, Cumaru, Ipe, Tigerwood, Tarara, Kurupayra, Amendoim, Lapacho, and Curupau
Careful kiln drying is one of the most important factors in producing the best possible solid unfinished flooring products.
Tropical woods generally have a higher density and require kiln drying techniques vastly different than the drying domestic temperate hardwoods, such as
Oak, Ash, Maple and Walnut. In northern Brazil, we specialize in Brazilian Cherry, also known as Jatoba, Cumaru, Ipe, Tigerwood and more. From Paraguay,
we specialize in Tarara, Canarywood; Kurupayra, Angico; Amendoim; Lapacho; and Curupau, Patagonian Rosewood.
Our rough lumber blanks are air dried for a minimum of three months prior to kiln drying - this process slowly removes moisture from the wood without
shocking the material when it enters the kiln. Proper air drying will bring the lumber moisture content down close to fiber saturation point, typically around 25% moisture content.
Ideally, when lumber enters the kilns the individual pieces are at approximately the same starting moisture content. The pre-drying or air drying process helps to achieve this ideal.
Our exotic lumber is dried in the highest quality modern dry kilns with variable speed fans, high quality uniform stacking sticks, electonic in-kiln moisture meters and computer controlled scheduling.
We do not rush the drying process and the material goes through both equalization and conditioning steps to ensure the material has a uniform moisture content throughout each piece.
Exceptional Kiln Drying Techniques Minimize Movement, Shrinkage, Expansion, and Gapping
At all phases of the manufacturing process after kiln drying, our material is kept in a humidity controlled environment.
We pride ourselves in producing a product with a consistent and uniform final
moisture content; our high quality kiln drying permits the minimum amount of equalization time on the final job site without worry of excessive movement, shrinkage, expansion, or gapping. We still recommend a minimum of
two weeks of equalization on the job site prior to installation.
Because solid hardwood will always move with changes in moisture content, many problems related to exotic hardwood flooring are caused by variations in humidity or moisture content.
These changes in the moisture content of the wood can cause movement, shrinkage, expansion, gapping between boards, cracking and checking.
Extreme changes in moisture can lift the finish right off the wood itself.
State of the art Milling Quality of Exotic Hardwoods
Our milling quality is the very best in the industry. This means our exotic hardwood product will fit together perfectly, not too tight and not too loose.
This will save time during the installation and help to prevent squeaks and pops during the life of your floor.
State of the Art Moulders Create a Consistent Fit
We use only the finest moulders imported from Germany and Italy to mill our flooring. These moulders use the latest in computer aided set up including electronic grinding of knives for a precision
"jointed" finish - jointing is the process of equalizing all cutting knives in the moulder head so each knife cuts an equal amount. This creates the smoothest possible finish with a minimum of
knife marks and eliminates the typical chatter and tear out found in many hardwood flooring products. Having the highest tolerances possible
a more consistent fit for quicker installation.
Sand and Finish On Site
Our unfinished hardwood flooring products define the classic, high quality premium hardwood floor. Sanding and finishing on site is the only
way to achieve a perfectly flat and smooth hardwood floor. Our products are milled with the highest standards in the industry to allow a minimum
of installation work. Less time spent sanding during installation will ultimately lead to a superior final result.
Installation Advice for Solid Unfinished Hardwood Floors
It is critical that installation conditions are correct prior to beginning the installation of solid wood flooring.
The moisture content of the wood sub-floor or concrete slab should be tested upon delivery of the material to the jobsite, especially in new construction.
We recommend that the moisture conditions are noted on the delivery paperwork. Material should always be acclimated to the jobsite prior to installation;
we recommend a minimum of 10 days, but areas with high humidity or low humidity will require longer equalization times. The jobsite should also be held at
a consistent humidity and temperature during acclimation and installation.
Order of Installation and Optimal Finish Curing Conditions
Never install hardwood flooring prior to installing a fully functional HVAC system
and sealing up the building. Wood flooring will move very slightly with variations in temperature and this will often cause popping or cracking sounds.
Unfinished flooring requires sanding and finishing on site. This should be one of the last steps in new construction, just prior to move in by the new
home owner. It is extremely important that newly finished floors are treated with care for the first few weeks after finishing in order to give the finish
time to fully cure and harden. Removing shoes is recommended for at least the first month after finishing. Heat will also speed the curing process and
is not uncommon for an installer to recommend leaving the heat in 80's after finishing, before the occupants return to the house.
