A New Avant Garde Development by
Acclaimed Architect Jorge Gracia

Low maintenance and high quality finishing throughout the Park at Malibu

JATOBA AND IPE HARDWOODS FROM BRAZIL EXPLAINED

JATOBA (OR BRAZILIAN CHERRY) Flooring:    Scientific Name: Hymenaea courbaril

Other Names and Species:
Algarrobo, Cuapinol, Guapinol, Jatahy, Kawanari, Paquio, Rode Locus, West Indian Locust

Origin:
From southern Mexico, throughout Central America and the West Indies, to northern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.

Appearance:
While the sapwood of jatoba is gray-white, the heartwood tends to a salmon-red to orange-brown color when fresh, becoming
russet or reddish brown with dark streaks when seasoned. With its inherent beauty, rich coloring, and extreme hardness, this
species is understandably one of our most popular exotic woods.

Properties:
In addition to its warm reddish tint, this moderately lustrous wood is notable for its hardness and durability
jatoba is extremely dense wood and very strong.  Janka Hardness: 2350
Jatoba is one of the hardest choices for wood flooring. It is roughly eighty-one percent harder than red oak, seventy-eight
percent harder than ash, about sixty-two percent harder than hard maple, close to twenty-three percent harder than jarrah,
and is just over six percent harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.

Workability:
In view of its high density and interlocked grain, Brazilian cherry is difficult to saw and plane; however, it sands nicely to a
smooth surface. Due to its hardness, nailing may require pre-drilling and adjustment of the angle of penetration.

Principal Uses:
Brazilian cherry (jatoba) is frequently used where good shock resistance is needed, such as in wood flooring
and tool handles. Other applications include railroad cross-ties, wheel rims, gear cogs, and other specialty items,
as well as furniture and cabinet work.


IPE  Hardwood Decking:   Scientific Name:Tabebuia spp.

Other Names and Species:
Amapa, Cortez, Guayacan Polvillo, Flor Amarillo, Greenhart, Lapacho Negro, Madera Negra, Tahuari

Origin:
Brazil and throughout continental tropical America as well as in parts of the Lesser Antilles.

Appearance:
The heartwood of ipe ranges from olive brown to blackish, though it can have lighter or darker striping that is sharply
demarcated from the whitish or yellowish sapwood. Ipe is a low-luster wood with an oily appearance, a fine-to-medium texture,
and a grain that ranges from straight to very irregular.

Properties:
Along with its extreme hardness, strength, weight, density, and durability, ipe is also one of the most stable woods available.
However, it is important to "over-dry" the wood in a kiln to avoid excessive shrinkage when installing.
Janka Hardness: 3684
As a flooring option, ipe is an incredibly hard and durable wood species. It is over ninety-one percent harder
than merbau, is roughly one hundred and twenty-six percent harder than wenge,
and over two thirds harder than santos mahogany's ranking of 2200.

Workability:
Ipe is moderately difficult to work, given its hardness, especially with hand tools, and it has a blunting effect on most cutting
edges. Pre-drilling is required when nailing the wood.

Principal Uses:
Ipe is ideal for wood flooring where durability and high shock resistance are needed, such as in industrial environments. It is
also used in railroad cross-ties, heavy construction, tool handles, and decorative veneers.