International Wood International Wood 2004 | Page 31

“Ipe is a perfect wood for outdoor use.
No stain is required, and it’s naturally
very stable, dense, and easy to
machine. It can last up to twice as long
as treated domestic species.”
“Ipé is a perfect wood for outdoor use,” says FitzGerald. “No stain is
required, and it’s naturally very stable, dense, and easy to machine. It can
last up to twice as long as treated domestic species.”
All the deck lumber, including end joints, was rounded over with a
quarter-inch radius on site. Special dimensions were imported for the
rails and pickets, which required special handling.
“The rails are four-inch rounds, and the pickets are two inches,” says
FitzGerald. “The lumber was special ordered from Brazil months in
advance and shipped to the log supplier; they’re the only ones we knew
who could mill lumber of this size.”
Johnston says he finds clients specifying more imported wood in
recent years. In one recent project the floors, ceilings and stair railings
were Teak, and the cabinets were Teak-veneered plywood. In another
home, they used a wood called Afrormosia.
“Afrormosia looks like Teak, and is actually referred to as ‘poor man’s
Teak.’ We’ve used it on floors, stair railings, that kind of thing.
“Imported woods are more
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E
available than they used to be,” says
PROJECT:
Johnston. “We see more requests for
Black Bear Lodge, Linville Ridge, NC
exotic woods, because clients are
ARCHITECT:
more aware of them. We’re helping
Johnston Architecture
with that; as reps come by and show
IMPORTED WOOD DISTRIBUTOR:
us more samples, we pass that
FitzGerald Wood Products
information on to our clients.”
IMPORTED WOOD
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