Hardwood Floors April/May 2024

RESOURCES

SPECIES SPECS Patagonian Rosewood

Anadenanthera colubrina

FAMILY Fabaceae or Leguminosae (legume) family

SEASONING/SHRINKAGE VALUE Patagonian rosewood dries slowly with minimal degrade during seasoning. When going from green (30 percent MC) to oven-dried, it may shrink up to 7.6 percent (tangential) of its given width.

OTHER COMMON NAMES Curupay, cebil, curupaú.

DIMENSIONAL STABILITY IN-USE Average

APPEARANCE/COLOR The heartwood is pale to medium reddish-brown, frequently with darker brown to black streaks throughout. Sapwood is a pale yellow to pinkish-brown.

DIMENSIONAL CHANGE COEFFICIENT Unknown TOXICITY/ALLERGIES Can cause skin irritations in some individuals.

INSTALLATION Has a pronounced dulling effect on blades. Can be hard to work with due to its irregular grain and high density. There are no known issues with gluing. The hardness of this species makes it difficult to drive a fastener through. The air compressor psi must be adjusted to avoid tongue splitting and ensure adequate seating in the nailing pocket. 18-gauge cleats work best when nailing this wood. SAND/FINISH Patagonian rosewood is very hard and dense, requiring extra caution with grit progression. Do not skip grits when sanding this wood. To minimize visible scratches, the final pass using a hard-plate, a multi-head or oscillating sander normally is done with a higher grit abrasive than with other species. This wood stains and finishes very nicely. Finishes and stains often require extended dry times on this species. SUSTAINABILITY Patagonian rosewood is not listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices and is reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as being a species of Least Concern.

Patagonian Rosewood

PHOTO COURTESY OF NWFA

PHOTOSENSITIVITY Moderate. Darkens with age and exposure to sunlight and oxygen. GRAIN Diffuse-porous. The grain is irregular and/or interlocked, with a fine uniform texture.

HARDNESS (JANKA) Averages 3,630 lb f

AVERAGE DRIED WEIGHT 64 lbs/ft 3 (1,025 kg/m 3 ) SPECIFIC GRAVITY Averages 1.03 (at 12 percent MC)

For additional resources, check out the NWFA’s Wood Species Technical Publication at NWFA.ORG.

124 hardwood floors hardwoodfloorsmag.com