Garapa

Botanic Name:

Also called:

Description

The narrow sapwood is yellowish-white to pale yellow and clearly demarcated from the heartwood. The heartwood is yellow when newly cut, but matures to a lustrous golden-brown or russet, and can be streaked. This translates to either a bright yellow plank, or a yellow plank which will turn brown over time, thus making the floor a mixture of brown and yellow- both plank by plank and even within a single plank. Its grain can be irregular, straight or interlocked, with a medium to coarse texture, distinct rays, and a lustrous surface. The interlocked grain can produce a broad stripe.

Typical dry weight: 830kg/m3

Diameter: 0,83 g/cm3

Properties

Garapa is a heavy, dense and hard wood, with high crushing strengths. Pre-boring is recommended for nailing and screwing, and these fixings hold well. Interlocking grain may cause tear-out when planning, but generally a clean finish can be obtained. It takes glue, stains, paints and varnishes well, and is capable of being brought to a highly lustrous finish.

Durability: It is durable, and resistant to white and brown rot fungi. The heartwood is difficult to treat with preservative.

Grows: Amazonian Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Surinam

Typical height: 27m

Trunk diameter: 0.5-0.6m