Although you may not have heard of it, cocobolo is a beautiful tropical hardwood that’s sometimes used for hard wood flooring. Most of the cocobolo imported into the United States comes from Mexico, but it’s also grown in other Central Americans countries including Panama and Nicaragua. The Mexican cocobolo is usually harvested by workers with chain saws and donkeys, so the environmental impact is minimal compared to most other hardwood flooring.
Sometimes called “Rosewood”, its distinctive reddish-orange color and black striping can be used to create dramatic wood floors. Stronger than Brazilian rosewood, which is similar in appearance, cocobolo resists scratches, decay, and pests. It’s rated 1136 on the Janka Hardness Scale, making it about 10% harder than teak, and it has a natural luster.
The yellow sapwood is rarely used, and the color of the heartwood deepens with time. Cocobolo is dense and oily, with a floral aroma. In fact, it’s so dense that it won’t float. And it can be polished to a smooth, glassy finish. It’s slow to dry and will crack or check if used in too dry an environment.
The trees grow in rainforests to a height of 45 to 60 feet, and many of the trees that are harvested for solid wood flooring are over 100 years old.
Today, much of the cocobolo supply has been depleted and most of the remaining trees are in national parks, plantations, and reserves. As a result, cocobolo is one of the most expensive wood floors you can choose, but also one of the most striking. It’s available quartersawn or slabsawn, and it can be finished with oil or a polyurethane lacquer. If you’re going to install cocobolo yourself, wear a protective mask as the sawdust bothers many people, and it can cause a poison ivy-like rash or irritate your lungs.
Because the grain is sometimes burled or swirly, cocobolo is often used to make musical instruments, pool cues, jewelry boxes, and handles for tools, guns, and cutlery. If you have the cash available its worth using it in your home to create a dramatic, one-of-a-kind look that will last for years.
Learn about other exotic hardwood and how to use it for your home flooring at http://woodflooringguide.net/the-best-exotic-hardwoods-for-wood-flooring. If that isn’t enough information for you then you can read even more about real wood flooring at www.woodflooringguide.net.
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Topics: Flooring