Hardwood Flooring Species - Brazilian Cherry


See also: Samples May Look Different Than Others
Hardness: 2820
Stability: Average
Colors: Varies considerably. Tan salmon
Color Changes: Pronounced darkening from tan/salmon color to deep reddish brown

Brazilian Direct hardwood

Brazilian Direct
Brazilian cherry hardwood sample
 

Origin of Brazilian Cherry- South & Central America
Botanical Name(s)- Hymenaea, courbaril
Trade Name(s)- Jatoba
Other Uses In Industry- Fine furniture, cabinetry, architectural details, decorative veneers, joinery and turnery

Similar Colors

• Santos Mahogany


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Our Readers:

Stain Brazilian Cherry To Match Color

Question: After a two month long vacation we came back to our home in Atlanta to find out the washing machine leaked and ruined about half of our laundry room that has Brazilian cherry installed. My question is this, can we just stain new wood to match the color it's changed to? If so what kind of stain?

Reply: For a temporary fix staining new could work. But the question remains; will the colors blend say in two or five years? If it's a small area I would opt for replacing the entire area and place a transition header board separating the new and existing floors in the doorway.

Some installers have had great sucess in aging hardwoods that are photo sensitive. Simply place new boards in direct sunlight outdoors and nature takes over the rest. Depending on how old the floor is, the change can take more than a few hours, even days.

Brazilian Cherry Lite? What Is It?

Question: I've been shopping for Brazian Cherry floors here in San Diego the last few months and came across the Lumber Liquidators brand Brazilian Cherry lite. Is this really Brazilan Cherry or something else?

Reply: Boy, you've asked a good question. Marketing people are to blame on this one and the consensus is this light product is Tauari or often called Brazilian Oak. It has more pinkish tones in it opposed to the tan salmon color when new and doesn't change color as radically. As far as the durability or hardness it doesn't rank up there with the actual Brazilian Cherry, coming in at the level of Maple.

White Spots on Brazilian Cherry FloorsWhite spots brazilian cherry floor

Question: I've been noticing these micro smallish white spots all over my new Braz Cherry floor. It's like they appear in the grain of the wood. Is this a defect or something to do with the type of finish that was used?

Reply: What you are seeing are silica spots that are common with lower grades of Brazilian Cherry. This is a natural occurrence in the material itself and should not be considered defective unless the grade was deemed clear.

Black and Light Colored Boards

Question: We contracted a company in the Seattle area to install and finish nearly 1,000 square feet of Jatoba, but what I didn't expect to see was so many light and dark boards. It's only half done but it sure doesn't look like the big sample they custom made for us.

Reply: There are different grades of all hardwood flooring. Once you get into the lower grades (graded by appearance) the more color variation will be seen. I would suggest taking this up with the contractor. It could be an honest mistake.