Among the largest and tallest trees on earth, the redwood produces a rich, warm, inviting veneer that’s as impressive as the tree. Uniformly deep reddish-brown, the grain in quarter cut veneer is beautifully striped or figured by fine markings. Burled veneer (also known as vavona burl) is sliced from huge, prolific burl growths found on occasional redwoods, producing some of the largest and most uniform burled veneer in the world.
Cabinetry
This elegant, tobacco-colored veneer is similar to Brazilian Rosewood, but somewhat less contrasty in color. Rich hues range from dark chocolate brown to violet and even black in lively combinations that produce a one-of-a-kind look prized for architectural use. Flat cut, the wood shows a beautiful cathedral pattern; quartered it produces a straight or broken stripe effect.
Madagascar Rosewood can be found in various shades of deep brown to reddish-brown. The veneer has a medium to fine texture and ribbon grain, typical of rosewoods, with pronounced dark red, vertical lines that can be wavy in some logs. Darker streaks are common and can produce a spiderweb-like figure. Flat cut, the log produces a swirly, burl-like heart.
This is one of the world’s most loved and prized veneers. It ranges in color from lustrous chocolate-brown to purple-black with a cream colored sapwood—all very saturated with a vivid contrast. It has a lively variegated stripe and occasional bee’s wing figure and, when flat cut, produces a characteristic cathedral pattern. Increasingly used as a substitute for the extremely rare but prized Rio rosewood.
Sapele varies in color from log to log, but is generally medium to dark red-brown. Finishing brings out an intense depth of color and highlights its natural luster, which is similar to mahogany. This veneer has a fine grain, a distinct and desirable stripe formation, and often carries a lively figure. Flat cut sapele shows the characteristic heart or cathedral grain The highly prized pommele sapele is intensely marked with a swirly grain and randomly interspersed blisters, or pommele markings. A high degree of luster gives sapele a three-dimensional effect.
Satinwood is a pale gold wood with a rippled grain and straight striping. Typically figured, Satinwood often produces a bee’s wing or mottle figure. Satinwood is used for decorative inlays on table and conference tops. It is also used for high quality furniture and cabinets. Select logs are sliced to produce extremely attractive veneers for high-end architectural paneling, cabinets, and marquetry.
Pale yellow-gray to nearly white, sen is a Japanese ash popular in Japan for both furniture and interiors. It has a straight, fine grain when cut on the quarter and a nice cathedral character with a fine grain on either side of the heart when flat cut. When marked with a pommele figure, this veneer is called "tamo." Sen is an excellent choice for a variety of interiors aesthetics including modern, Asian, and minimalist designs.
Knotty spruce, characterized by its distinctive features, presents a charming and rustic aesthetic. The wood showcases a myriad of small, brown knots scattered throughout its surface, creating a unique and visually appealing texture. These knots add character to the spruce, bringing forth a sense of natural artistry. The uniform light color of the specie produces a natural radiance and a prominent striped grain, while the patterns formed by the knots contribute to the wood’s overall rustic charm. This wood variety is not only visually striking, but also carries a touch of authenticity, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a distinctive natural appeal in their furnishings or architectural elements.
Vintage knotty spruce is sliced from hand-hewn beams reclaimed from old farmhouses, barns, or commercial buildings. Preserving the natural character of the wood, the beams are washed, de-nailed, dimensionally sorted, and then sliced into veneer. The veneer is generally straight grained with knotty characteristics that include splits, checks, nail holes, and occasional discolorations that reflect its history and give the wood a rustic feel. This veneer is sliced at 1.4 mm and intended for use in random sequences.
Named for a city in northern Brazil, sucupira is a South American hardwood with a character similar to rosewood or teak. It has a warm chocolate color with a fine yellow stripe, a lustrous finish, and a lively interlocking grain that is rarely figured. Flat cut veneer produces a beautiful cathedral pattern.
Actually a maple by genus, sycamore is among the most valuable native broad-leafed trees in Europe. Nearly white in color with a fine, close texture, notable uniform structure, and straight grain that may be figured, this light color wood evokes a minimalist elegance. Flat cut veneer shows the characteristic cathedral pattern. It readily accepts stains and can be dyed to many colors, most popularly a silver gray.
Teak is among the oldest commercial lumbers and remains a popular wood today, particularly in Asia, the US, and Scandinavia. It ranges in color from straw colored (which some consider the most desirable) to dark, dusty brown with fine, dark, contrasting stripes. Flat cut, the mineral streaks provide a contrasty grain structure in the cathedral pattern, much like American walnut. Pure golden teak without mineral streaking is available, but rare. Reconstituted teak is a manmade product that provides the beauty of teak with outstanding consistency in color and grain from sheet to sheet. Also available in recon.
One of the richest, darkest, and most exotically beautiful burls in the world, Roman woodworkers used this precious wood in temples in Biblical times. Today very little thuya is cut for lumber, instead workers dig beneath the ground to harvest the tree’s root burls, which are rotary sliced for veneer. The aromatic wood varies in color from light tan to deep, rich chocolate brown. The eyes of the figure are typically small and thickly scattered, creating a concentrated burl figure highly sought after for marquetry, custom furniture, and high-end architectural use.
This African species is easily recognized by its exotic, tiger-like look—deep reddish-orange with dark stripes that vary from fine lines to heavy, pronounced swatches. Like mahoganies, tigerwood has a lustrous surface, good yields, and is highly adaptable for furniture, cabinetwork, and matched architectural paneling.
Tineo is prized for its unique and interesting colors—the typically pinkish-brown veneer is marked with bold, exotic streaks of purple, dark green, blue, and/or black. Found primarily in South America, this wood is sometimes called Indian Apple. The veneer is straight grained with a fine to medium texture, and a lovely natural luster.
American walnut is the quintessential native hardwood and a hallmark of wood quality and tradition—one of the country’s most versatile, varied, and well-loved veneers. It produces a wider variety of figures than any other wood. Quarter cut veneers have a straight, even grain; flat cut produces a beautiful cathedral pattern. Burled walnut is a rare and exceptional offering—rich and dark with a beautiful swirling grain intermingled with clusters of burl. Also available in recon and rough cut.
Known around the world by many names, this wood resembles walnut, but is in fact not related to the walnut family. Its heartwood varies from light pink to brown to gray contrasted by dark irregular stripes when quarter cut. Figured woods are fairly common. This exceptionally large tree produces large leaves of veneer that are well suited for architectural use. Rare and increasingly challenging to acquire, this veneer is a distinctive choice for discerning interiors.
European walnut is among the most popular veneers in the world market. In recent years, severe frost in France damaged a great number of trees, making good European walnut increasingly harder to find and more expensive than its American cousin. A favorite for high quality architectural woodwork, this veneer has a smooth, even texture and thin, dark, grain markings over a light to dark brown background.
Wenge is striking rich, dark, coffee-colored wood with subtly contrasting, nearly black streaks. Straight grained with a course texture and matte finish, wenge produces large leaves well suited for architectural use. This extraordinary wood lends an elegant and exotic appeal to the build environment.
Probably one of the most unusual woods in the world, zebrawood creates a powerful presence in the built environment. This African wood has a light background overlaid vivid, roughly parallel dark stripes that earn its name. This highly decorative veneer is prized for both interior panels and custom cabinetry and comes in large sizes that simplify planning in large-scale architectural installations. Also available in recon.
Ziricote is a captivating choice—sometimes referred to as the abstract art of veneer. Designers seek it out for its unrepeatable grain patterns—spider webbing, marbling, cloudbursts, hill and valley patterns, and more. The reddish-brown heartwood is nicely contrasted by creamy sapwood. Quarter cut veneer may produce ray flakes similar to hard maple. Some designers incorporate the pale sapwood into furniture or interior designs for aesthetic effect, or to cut down on waste.