In recent years, there has been a growing interest in exotic wood species. One of the most popular exotic wood species is Ipé wood (pronounced ee-pay), which grows primarily in South America. An exotic Ipé floor is hardwood, beautiful, dense and durable, bringing a touch of exoticism to your home.
Characteristics of exotic Ipé flooring
Ipé wood is known to be one of the hardest woods in the world. Ipé is characterized by its rich, deep, dark brown color. The rich chocolate tones of Ipé hardwood floors instantly set your room apart and add an elegant touch to your space. However, exotic Ipé flooring has slight color variations in the wood, which can range in some areas from olive and reddish-brown tones to almost blackish-brown, with more contrasting brown/black streaks, and this spectacular coloration is one of the many reasons why Ipé wood is so desirable. Finally, Ipé wood features a distinctive range of dark brown and deep blonde hues that blend to form a rich, exotic color. Incredibly durable and beautiful, exotic Ipé floors are the perfect choice for those looking for a warm and durable hardwood floor. Ipé hardwood floors are able to withstand significant wear while maintaining a beautiful appearance.
Advantages and disadvantages of exotic Ipé flooring
Ipé wood is one of the hardest wood species on the planet, hence its nickname: Ironwood. This hardness combines with its density, giving it high dimensional stability and a very high natural fatty resin content, making it extremely difficult to scratch or damage. This also means that exotic Ipé flooring does not absorb moisture and therefore does not become slippery when wet. Ipé offers amazing natural color variations. Any outdoor space is instantly enriched with exotic Ipé flooring. Often, it is possible to compose your exotic Ipé flooring by combining different lengths and formats, choosing from an almost infinite variety of patterns for a hardwood floor like no other. Overall, Ipé flooring is extremely hard and dense wood, and extremely beautiful and striking, with superb resistance to mold and rot. As a result, it is commonly used for outdoor flooring on your condo balcony, deck, or roof terrace. In addition, the many features and benefits of this exotic Ipé wood flooring create outdoor living spaces that can easily handle any climate. One of the determining factors of Ipé wood is its hardness. The scale on which wood hardness is measured is called the Janka scale. The industry standard, northern red oak, has a rating of 1290 on the Janka scale. However, Ipé has an astronomical Janka hardness rating of 3510 on the Janka scale. Some people compare the hardness of Ipé to the hardness of steel. This hardness offers excellent advantages in terms of durability and resistance, making it the ideal outdoor flooring for wooden decks. To learn more about exotic Ipé wood flooring or other available exotic wood species, inquire with l’Artisan du Plancher, call us today!
