4 Four Hawaii Exotic Woods Used for Building Luxury Homes

Luxury homes can be adorned with woods that are rare and exotic. In addition to being beautiful and durable, exotic timbers are desirable. Luxury homes are increasingly being built using exotic woods from Hawaii. Instead of using other building materials, homeowners are choosing rare and exotic woods to construct their homes. A few of Hawaii's most rare exotic woods are Koa wood, Mango wood, Ipe wood, and Mahogany wood.

1. Koa Hawaiian: Exotic Wood

Koa comes from Hawaii and is a tropical wood. Color variation is common amongst this species, and high figures are highly sought after. There are a lot of Koa boards with a light brown to tan color, enhanced by red, golf, black, and yellow streaks. In order to prevent extinction of the species, Hawaiian Koa trees are harvested only in a limited area as well as trees damaged by disease and wind. Since Hawaiian Koa is so expensive, it's mostly used for small items such as music instruments. Most of the time, Koa stands well and is easy to work with. It is, however, possible to tear or chip wood with heavily interlocked grain in figured wood or pieces of figured wood; Koha can also sometimes cause issues when glueing, but this is not a common occurrence. Koa is easy to turn, stain, and complete. A lot of Hawaii's luxury homes are evidently using Koa throughout in areas such as kitchen cabinetry and built in entertainment centers.

2. Mango Wood

Southeast Asia is the native land of Mango wood, which was imported to Hawaii in the 1820's. Although the mango tree is best know for it's fruit, it also produces beautiful valuable lumber. Hawaii has been using wood ever since then for furniture, woodworking, plywood, flooring, carvings, and turning ever since the first Hawaiians used it. Since Koa is only available internationally, it is significantly more expensive than Hawaiian Mango. This notwithstanding, Hawaii's hardwoods is a beautiful species of wood, moderately heavy and soft in comparison with other hardwoods from warmer climates. The most common form of spalting that occurs in wood is the indescribable kaleidoscope of colors that is created when the wood cracks. The color of Mango wood can vary from golden brown to lustrous blond, with a variety of streaks that accumulate during drying, as well as sometimes a dark or brown heartwood. in comparison to other types of wood, it is a beautiful wood that can be used to build homes.

3. Ipe Wood

The superior characteristics and properties of Ipe are world-renowned. It's dark brows color comes form a dense hardwood known as Ipe (Brazilian walnut). A tropical climate wold benefit from an outdoor deck made of this material. Natural resistance to rot, decay, insects, and weather makes Ipe an excellent choice for decking. For building a new deck in Hawaii, Ipe wood is a beautiful and durable option to consider. A deck built with Ipe wood will last for more than 40 years. Hawaii's warm climate is ideal for Ipe because it does not retain heat, so your deck won't get too hot to walk on when it's hot outside. Ipe is tough and durable, naturally resistant to bugs and rot. A rich brown color with red and amber tints distinguishes the heartwood of Ipe from board to board. In places like the Hamakua Coast and North Hilo it is still used. Ipe wood decking has the feel of a cathedral because of it's dense, tight grain and contrasting grain patterns. The fine grain and texture make it very slip-resistant.

4. Mahogany Wood

As a wood, Mahogany has one of the highest compressive and bending strengths compared to other woods, making it one of the strongest. In addition to being tough, mahogany has a long lifespan. Mahogany is one of the most popular choices for those building luxury houses in Hawaii and for furniture, yachts, boats, floors, doors, musical instruments, and many other exemplary luxuries. Because of it's strength, Mahogany is popular choice. a beautiful reddish brown color, Hawaiian Mahogany is dense and closed-grained. It's color and durability make Mahogany an ideal material for a wide variety of products and interior home finishes. Mahogany is less prone to warping, shrinking, swelling, or twisting that other woods types. Mahogany is an excellent wether and moisture resistant wood. It does not change shape when moisture or weather conditions are present. The wood is used to build luxury estate tropical dream homes.

7 Luxury Resort Lifestyles on Big Island, Hawaii Were Exotic Woods are Dominant

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5 Additional Interesting Hawaii Exotic Wood Related Links 

GM Construction Inc.

Kamuela Hardwoods

Koa Buidling and Design

Martin and MacArthur Hawaii

Roy Lambrecht Woodworking Inc.

 

Contributed by Luxury Big Island