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.
Flat Cut
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.
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.