Replies

1. 
   McDesign | Jun 02, 2006 12:49pm | #1

   Man, all kinda' good jokes could come out of laying Tiger wood on your floor!  Something like "finishes really well at first, kinda tapers off afterward", etc

   I've not heard of it; got some tiger oak and tiger maple; guess that's not it.

   Forrest

1. 
   Jer | Jun 02, 2006 01:44pm | #2

   "finishes really well at first, kinda tapers off afterward"that's a fairway to put it...

1. 
   McDesign | Jun 02, 2006 02:38pm | #3

   LOL!

   How about a realty sign out front - "Tiger wood laid here!"

   Forrest

1. 
   Capentre | Jun 04, 2006 06:01pm | #4

   LOL

2. 
   wrudiger | Jun 04, 2006 07:07pm | #5

   Love it!!  Tight grain, interesting colors & patterns.  It does have a pretty wide variation in color, from tans to reds to browns.  I didn't talk to the installers about it, but they didn't seem to have any problem sanding it down.  Oil-based poly went down fast and smooth.  Here are a couple of pics - taken at night but pretty accurate in terms of coloration & look (love the contrast to the light maple cabs).

    

1. 
   frenchy | Jun 04, 2006 07:44pm | #6

   wrudiger

     Could you explain more about tiger wood?    To me it simply looks like you mixed a variety of woods and then put it down..

    I assume that the variety was the attraction,  could you have perhaps set the wood with more a gradation by preslecting pieces? 

1. 
   wrudiger | Jun 04, 2006 09:10pm | #9

   Flooring Trade Name: Tigerwood Botanical Name: Astronium, sppLumber Name: Goncalo Alves Grows In: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico 

   Tigerwood is 170% as hard as red oak (2160 on the Janka scale vs. 1260 for red oak).

   Color Range: Tigerwood, as the name suggests, is a species which exhibits a wide range of color/striping.  The striping can vary from fine lines to bold “brush strokes”.  The background color can range from light tans to darker orange browns.

   Color Change: Tigerwood exhibits a large degree of color change with a pronounced darkening of the background under the stripes from an orangey tan to a deep reddish brown color, which then in turn makes the striping less contrasting and more subtle.

2. 
   Capentre | Jun 04, 2006 08:59pm | #8

   Thanks much for the feedback!

3. 
   DougU | Jun 04, 2006 08:13pm | #7

   What type of wood are you referring to? OR, is their a variety of wood called Tiger wood?

   I have seen tiger striping in about a couple dozen varieties of wood and I'd guess that it occurs in maybe all of them somewhere.

   My favorite wood is tiger maple but I don't know if that's what your referring to.

   Doug

    

4. 
   Conrad | Jun 05, 2006 02:53am | #10

   Capentre,

   If by Tigerwood you mean Goncalo alves, I installed about 200 sq ft of it in my kitchen 2 years ago. It is exceptionally hard and heavy, but I had no trouble using a pneumatic stapler to install it. There can be dramatic color variation within and between lots; you have to like that look. It sanded just fine but finishing is difficult. It is an oily tropical hardwood, and my first attempt at finishing with oil based poly failed in about 3 months; the finish film began delaminating at the edges of the boards. After consulting with a nationally renowned finishing expert, he turned me on to Waterlox, a surface-building oil finish. Sand as usual, wipe the surface down with mineral spirits, allow to dry, then apply Waterlox original finsh as a first coat. You can follow this up with additional coats of original (semigloss), or either the high gloss or satin finishes. It has held up beautifully. One more word of caution, Goncalo alves is a relative of poison ivy and it's wood dust can be very irritating to the respiratory tract and skin of some people. I didn't have any problems, but wear adequate protection.

   Conrad

1. 
   wrudiger | Jun 05, 2006 03:29am | #11

   Conrad reminded me - they did cut the first coat 50-50 with mineral spirits.  Been down since last Sept and still looks great (knocking on wood...).  I don't know the brand of finish that was used, just know it stunk for bout a week...