Replies

1. 
   jonsherryl | Jun 29, 2004 05:17am | #1

   KH, the thing you've got to keep your eye on when it comes to rosewood flooring is your wallet. If you're being offered genuine rosewood, it's extremely expensive. You might want to ask your supplier to provide the botanical name of the species. The trade is getting a little sloppy with the common name "rosewood" and it might actually be something else...either narra, from Southeast Asia, or possibly jatoba (AKA courbaril, Brazilian cherry). Both of these woods make good flooring, but they're not true rosewoods. Narra; Pterocarpus indicus, is a relative of padauk and it's a little coarser textured and not quite as dense as most of the rosewoods. Jatoba; Hymenaea courbaril, is fine textured, but also not quite as dense as the rosewoods.

   If what is being offered to you is actually a rosewood, it will belong to the genus Dalbergia...There are few rosewoods that are now available in large enough stock for milling conventional flooring...so, unless it's a parquet type flooring, chances are it's not a true rosewood.

   If it is true rosewood, it should make excellent flooring in that the rosewoods are extremely dense, providing outstanding wear properties, and they are also very stable. The only potential problem rests with their chemistry. They contain an extractive called dabergione that is a very potent allergen. It's a rare occurence, but some people who are extremely sensitive to it can experience a serious rash from merely touching the wood. Rosewood chin rests on violins and even the railings on pool tables have been known to cause some people to come down with an allergic reaction.  

   
   

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   Edited 6/28/2004 10:20 pm ET by Jon Arno