Ipe Hardwood Flooring Spotlight - Exotic Hardwood Leader / Stone Wood Design Center

Welcome back to Stone Wood Design Center, Portland's leading retailer for Tile, Porcelain, Marble, Travertine, Mosaics, Hardwood Flooring and Exterior Decking. Today's blog is a product spotlight on Ipe Hardwood.

Ipe is one of the most popular, and familiar, exotic hardwood species that comes out of South America; it is also one of the most diverse. Ipe is part of the Tabebuia genus, which includes approximately 100 different species of trees. These different varieties of Tabebuia can be found throughout Central & South America, the Lesser Antilles, and even in parts of southern Florida. Many of the species are used for timber, however, many others are considered decorative trees which are commonly found throughout neighborhoods, parks, city centers, etc, due to their beautiful flowers which are typically white, yellow, pink, or red.

Ipe Tree

As a timber product Tabebuia is sold & marketed under many different names depending on what type of product you’re buying and from which country you’re buying it from. In the flooring industry Tabebuia is typically exported from South America as either Ipe (Brazil), Lapacho (Paraguay), or Tajibo (Bolivia). To complicate things even more, trade names have been developed, such as, Brazilian Walnut & Ironwood; all of which represent the same thing….Tabebuia.

Ipe Hardwood

One of the main characteristics of Ipe/Lapacho/Tajibo flooring is its strikingly wide array of color variation. Customers should always be clearly informed that this wood includes shades of brown, green, red, orange, black, yellow, & tan. You may see subtle color differences between the three depending on what region/country the trees are harvested from, but overall they are very similar in appearance. The grain of the wood is straight to irregular with a fine to medium texture. The woods hardness rating of 3680 (almost 3 times harder than Red Oak) is commonly used as a benchmark against which all other hardwoods are compared. Regarding stability, it has a very similar rating to Cumaru, meaning it can be a little temperamental in wider widths if proper installation procedures are not followed.

Unique Style of Ipe Hardwood

Additionally, if working with unfinished Ipe/Lapacho/Tajibo care should be taken to seal the floor immediately after the final sanding. This wood contains natural oils which, if left unsealed, will leach to the surface potentially causing adhesion & curing issues with the finish.

Stone Wood Design Center imports Ipe/Lapacho/Tajibo in 3/4" x 3”, 3-1/4”, 4”, & 5” widths. The product is typically Clear grade with 1’-7’ lengths and is available both Prefinished & Unfinished.

If you have any questions regarding this species, or any of our other products, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Avenue Mosaic Tile

Our Avenue Mosaic lines offer a wide assortment of materials incorporated into mosaics: glass, metal, and stone. Designed by tile guru Michael Golden, Avenue mosaics are well engineered and have beautiful lines that pull these materials together into vibrant, sophisticated designs. They are sleek, modern, and original.

A word about Michael… I’ve had the privilege of working with him in previous jobs and he has been around the tile and stone block (pardon the pun) for many years creating cutting edge designs. Technical and creative, he’s a unique character in this business. We both come from extensive mosaic backgrounds, with different spins of course, so I am personally pleased to showcase his latest designs at Stone Wood.

I decided to call him and pick his brain about the Avenue line, which was quite interesting. He was educated at the Rhode Island School of Design, in product design and glass, and it shows. Michael has very carefully balanced the colors and ornament in each mosaic to be easy on the eyes. During the research and design phases, he views each mosaic from three distances: 18", 5’ and 25’. The purpose is to insure that each design and colorway is still appealing and interesting from a variety of viewpoints within a house. He also emphasizes trends, or patterns. He looks for patterns of patterns, so to speak, to understand what will be the next “wave”. Last point, and this one is my favorite, “nothing is random.” Every pattern, colorway, and texture is worked to create something new and different. While perusing the photos below, keep these ideas in mind and you will feel the creativity and engineering that he put into them.

Let’s begin with Skyline….a signature line, and a truly modern and geometric pattern designed to feel like skylines from London to Lisbon. A mix of metals, stone and glass….just like any line of buildings would include in reality.

The Impressions Hopscotch and Wicker designs, in linear and square patterns, include warm toned metals, as well as cool. Meant to remind one of a warm summer afternoon, picnic basket in hand or a cool afternoon on a boat.

Confections line, available in square piece format, also contains metals, but with varying textures to create dimension within the mosaic patterns. The glass pieces have different finishes as well… glossy, frosted, and matte.

Weave and Ripple series are our dimensional mosaic line within Avenue. They have that “must touch immediately” feel and bring life to any interior wall. The curved glass pieces are gentle and uplifting, bringing serenity to any room.

Last, but certainly not least, is Flemish Bond, a mosaic standard using all glass in rich, iridescent colors.

For additional information on our Avenue Mosaic tile line or any of the other great selections we carry at Stone Wood, please visit  http://stonewoodstore.com

Written by: Katherine Campbell

Stone Wood Design Center, part of the Nova USA family of companies, is the leading hard surface retailer in Portland, Oregon. With 3 locations, including the Crates store, in the Portland area, Stone Wood Design Center specializes in buying direct from the manufacturer and passing the savings on to the customer. The company hires experienced design and product professionals and has a reputation for outstanding customer service.

Stone Wood Design Center Opens Discount Store Stone Wood Crates

Stone Wood Design Center, Portland's very own hard surface superstore announces the debut of its new discount center, Stone Wood Crates. Located at 5600 NE 122nd Ave, just East of the airport and Cascade Station, the store features close-outs, discounted and discontinued items, along with some running line inventory.

"Our Crates store is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer or contractor looking for an awesome deal on beautiful material," said Steve Getsiv, CEO. "Manufacturers are always changing up their product lines and our Crates store allows us to offer these products at prices up to 80% below normal retail."

The Crates store will provide customers with the opportunity to create spaces in a design warehouse environment, while having access to the deepest discounted materials in Portland. Those materials consist of things like travertine and porcelain tile, colorful mosaics from all over the world and handscraped exotic hardwoods. A knowledgeable team of home improvement professionals will provide expert information and advice to create an excellent customer experience.

To celebrate the opening of the discount location, Stone Wood Crates will host a Liquidation Red Tag Sale on Saturday, November 10th. Customers who visit the Crates store will get to choose materials from all over the world, at the lowest prices in the Portland metro. We'll be using the store as a liquidation center until all surplus inventory is sold, at which point the company intends to keep the facility open for wholesale only.  

The Crates store will be open Tuesday through Saturday. For additional information, please visit Stone Wood Crates.

Stone Wood Design Center, part of the Nova USA family of companies, is the leading hard surface retailer in Portland, Oregon. With 3 locations, including the Crates store, in the Portland area, Stone Wood Design Center specializes in buying direct from the manufacturer and passing the savings on to the customer. The company hires experienced design and product professionals and has a reputation for outstanding customer service.

Cumaru Flooring

Cumaru, also referred to as Brazilian Teak, is the lighter, color-sorted, pieces of regular Cumaru. Cumaru flooring is commonly sorted into Light & Dark shades. The Dark colored pieces are typically sold as Dark/Red Cumaru or Brazilian Chestnut, while the Light colored pieces have assumed the name Brazilian Teak. In lower non-color sorted grades the species is simply referred to as Cumaru.

Cumaru/Brazilian Teak is a beautiful tannish to dark brown color with shades of yellow & caramel throughout. The grain of the species is interlocked & wavy with a coarse texture. Cumaru is exceptionally hard with a Janka rating of 3200; 36% harder than Brazilian Cherry. From a stability stand-point Cumaru can be temperamental, especially in wider widths that are being installed in dry/arid climates. Proper installation procedures should be strictly adhered to when working with this species.

Of the five core flooring species imported from South America (Brazilian Cherry, Ipe, Cumaru, Tigerwood, & Santos Mahogany) only Brazilian Teak offers that warm, neutral, tannish-brown color so many customers ask for. That’s not to say Brazilian Teak is more elegant, or better, than the other species, but aesthetically speaking it is in a category by itself.

Stone Wood Design Center imports Cumaru/Brazilian Teak in 3/4" x 3”, 3-1/4”, 4”, & 5” widths. The product is Clear grade with 1’-7’ lengths and is available both Prefinished & Unfinished.

If you have any questions regarding this species, or any of our other products, please don’t hesitate to contact us at http://stonewoodstore.com

Stone Wood is Portland's Distributor for Adex Tile

Stone Wood Design Center is pleased be a select distributor in Portland, Oregon for the distinguished ADEX tile line from Spain, conceived not only for its timeless fashion statement, but as a functional asset to bathrooms, kitchens and more. What makes ADEX tile unique is its classic subway tile simplicity and beauty, bringing together multiple finishes, colors and styles that work well together or separately.

The Neri Collection is a sophisticated ceramic tile, which is both aesthetically pleasing, as well as functional, comprised of 4 colors and virtually unlimited applications. The color palette of Bisque/Bone, Celery, Classic White and Black can be used alone or in combinations and further adds to their appeal.

The Hampton Collection, offers a subtle crackle glaze, which adds to the tiles character and mystique. ADEX describes this ceramic tiles crackled surface as, "reminiscent of a fine wine that has aged to perfection." The collection comes with a myriad of decorative components and finishing trims, which can help to create a pleasing simplistic style or a dramatic design statement.

Both subway tile collections offer a variety of sizes, with wide beveled edges or a classic flat surface.

If you have any questions regarding this species, or any of our other products, please don’t hesitate to contact us. http://stonewoodstore.com