You may overwhelm in deciding the best material for your deck because of the number of materials offered today. When you prefer to choose wood material, cumaru wood is one of the best wood types, especially for outdoor flooring or decks.
Even though many manufacturers are producing synthetic decking, using natural wood will help your deck blend in with the outdoors. That’s why cumaru and other wood are still the favorite decking flooring for people.
Cumaru wood comes from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Because it is so hard, it is used to make facades, bridges, heavy buildings, bodies, and floors indoors and outdoors.
Before installing the deck, let’s check some info about cumaru wood below.
Characteristics of Cumaru Wood
Cumaru wood is one of the species native to South America. This wood is also known as Brazilian Teak, so sometimes it is marketed as teak floor by unscrupulous deck dealers. It is a hardwood with gold and red hues from reddish-brown to golden.
Cumaru wood is very resistant to the actions of fungi, insects, and termites. It can be used to make cabinets, sheets for decorative coatings, interior and exterior carpentry, industrial floors, ships, poles, container bottoms, and packaging.
This exotic wood is a good choice because it’s more affordable for exotic lumber and hardwood flooring. With this characteristic, cumaru becomes the best choice for an outdoor deck. Besides, compared to IPE, cumaru wood is also easier to acquire domestically.
The use of cumaru wood for deck flooring is excellent. With good home maintenance, it has at least 25 years of lifespan. Its weathering properties help the wood to have decay resistance to termites and other dry-wood borers.
Cumaru wood applications
Cumaru is a wood that is extremely strong, sturdy, and long-lasting. It is a great choice for many outdoor uses, such as decking and walls.
Cumaru is a good building material for structures that have to hold much weight. As a building material, it works well for things like facade cladding, canopies, thresholds, bridges, and outside locks.
In addition, the wood is used to build heavy floating docks for hydraulic engineering. Cumaru is also a great choice for floors in factories or workshops where a lot of weight is put on them.
Cumaru wood is used to make more and more decking boards and tiles.
Cumaru wood is also used for truck floors, furniture, and ships. The weight may also be heavier.
You need a good foundation if you want to buy decking or tiles from Cumaru. When you buy Cumaru wood floors, keep this in mind.
Cumaru Flooring Pros and Cons
Due to its high volumetric mass, cumaru is not always easy to work with. For example, you need to pre-drill before nailing or screwing, and you shouldn’t glue either.
But if there isn’t a strong crosshair, it can be planned and turned out very well. The surface is also finished smoothly.
The wood has a cross thread and a grain that is not too big. Because of these qualities, cumaru is the best type of wood for heavy outdoor uses, like cumaru wood decking, sheet piles, scaffolding, and much more.
However, even though cumaru appears to be an excellent choice for interior and outdoor decking, this type of wood has a few drawbacks.
Pros
- Extreme durability. Cumaru has a long lifespan as a wood decking floor when the homeowners maintain it well.
- This tropical hardwood is heavy and stable, has a life cycle of more than 25 years, and is in durability class 1.
- Good for indoor and outdoor use. With a USDA Forestry Service rating of 25, it is a high rating for wood.
- Rot resistance. As ironwood, when you put the cumaru on the ground directly, it will not cause rot for at least a decade. So, when it is off the ground, the rot can be avoided.
- Pest resistant. All pests can’t core through ironwood, so cumaru is exceptionally resistant to insect damage.
- High Janka rating. Janka scale tests the wood hardness. Cumaru rates at 3300, 7 times harder than the red oak.
- Slip resistance. Cumaru has a higher-than-average slip resistance, so it comes as the best choice for the deck.
Cons
- Difficult to cut. With the hardness of cumaru, this wood will be difficult to cut.
- Annual treatments are needed. Annual UV coating is needed to prevent cracking and splintering.
- Shrinkage and movement. Cumaru is more susceptible to shrinkage and seasonal movement compared to other woods.
Care and Maintenance of Cumaru Wood Flooring
All types of wood will eventually age. You can slow the aging process by using hardwood oil or lightly sanding the planks.
The right care and maintenance are required To minimize cumaru flooring problems. Here are some lists that you can do to maintain cumaru wood on your deck floor.
- Checking fasteners are essential for seasonal movement. Usually, the boards contract and expand during the change of seasons, so you need to do an annual inspection for the screws and fasteners.
- For at least the first four years, UV-protecting sealant annually helps the wood from color fading. Then, you can continue to apply the sealant in the 5th year.
- Washing the decking is another way to maintain the cumaru wood. You can use a scrubbing brush or a power washer for optimal results. Keeping the surface areas clean will prolong the board’s life.
- Regularly Sweeping the deck is needed to maintain the deck floor. This activity can keep the wood’s moisture from staying and causing staining, dark spots, and water damage.
Installing Cumaru Wood Flooring
Before you buy cumaru boards, there are several considerations to decide about the installation. The first is determining whether the project will be done by yourself or by hiring a professional.
When you decide to do the task by yourself, ensure you have a complete tool and equipment. Meanwhile, for hiring a professional contractor, you have to choose a trusted contractor. Check the reviews from their former customer is needed.
Besides, in some areas, approval and permits are required before you can add the deck floor to your home. So, make sure it is first by finding out the info from the local government. Building a legal deck is important, though.
Cumaru Vs. IPE Vs Bankirai
Cumaru and IPE woods share a lot of similarities. They are native to the same place and are the ironwoods that many people choose for their decking floor because of their durability. In the decking industry, IPE woods are more common than cumaru. It is more readily available because it has a higher source rate.
Cumaru wood has a beautiful color and is very stable. It comes in shades from light tan to light reddish brown. Most of the time, the red-brown color is slightly better than the yellow-brown color, but both have a nice discoloration.
The beautiful flame drawing on Cumaru is another way to tell it apart. It is also a great substitute for ipé and Bankirai.
In terms of how it looks, Cumaru is a bit less wild than Ipé. This is because Cumaru has a lighter shade of color than Ipé. Cumaru is between Bankirai and Ipé in terms of color.
Based on its properties, cumaru wood is better than Bankirai, but it is still cheaper than ipé wood in terms of price.
When unsure about differentiating the wood’s quality, choosing cumaru is a better choice since you will get the premium one since it has few sources.
Modern furniture goes very well with Cumaru wood floors
But no matter what, cumaru wood floors are used in more classical rooms. For example, cherry furniture looks great on a cumaru wood floor.
Also, a cumaru floor can be combined very well with a so-called “Industrial Look.” Combinations with stainless steel-based furniture are very popular.
In short, a Cumaru wood floor lets the room’s furniture stand out best without stealing all the attention.