Brazilian cherry was often installed during new home construction, and though its use may have slowed down over time, it is still considered a beautiful wood and viable choice for flooring. It is available in several forms, ranging from solid hardwood planks to look-alike plastic laminates.
Brazilian Cherry Characteristics
This red or salmon-colored wood often has attractive streaks of darker stripes. Solid Brazilian cherry hardwood planks are difficult to install except by professionals, but engineered wood varieties are available, which are easier for DIYers to install. While the wood’s popularity among furniture builders and woodworkers may have waned, Brazilian cherry is still regarded as a very strong and durable flooring material. It is an extremely hard wood, with a Janka hardwood rating of 2350 (white oak has a Janka rating of 1360). Jatoba accepts stains and finishes very well, which is why it has been such a popular choice for flooring.
FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) Brazilian cherry flooring can be purchased.The species is not listed in the CITES Appendices (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which is an international agreement between governments to ensure that certain specimens are not threatened).Jatoba varieties are listed by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature, an organization with a similar mission) as being a species of least concern.
Here are several examples of varying types of Brazilian cherry flooring available for residential installation.
Boards come .75-inch thick and 3.25-inches wide. Most retailers will sell in lengths ranging from a few inches to 6 or 7 feet. These lengths can be mixed.Boards also come .75-inch thick by 5-inches wide with the same lengths as above.
If you search, you can find some wide-plank (wider than 5 inches) Brazilian cherry hardwood available, as well. Solid hardwood flooring is the better choice for added value and durability. The downside is that the Brazilian cherry appearance is the result of a convincing photographic rendition applied to a fiberboard core. And like all laminate flooring, it doesn’t feel as solid underfoot as actual wood. An engineered wood floor is a thin veneer of real wood applied to a layer (or multiple layers) of dimensionally stable plywood-type material. These products are not only less expensive, but more ecologically responsible, since less actual rainforest hardwood is used. Engineered wood products are also friendlier to DIY installation than solid hardwood.
It can include up to seven coats of aluminum oxide-based finish, with one or two top wear layers, saving you considerable time on staining and finishing.Finishing occurs off-site in a factory, not in your home, so there is no smell or mess.There is no waiting for the finish to cure—you can walk on it right away.
One downside of buying prefinished flooring is that it is more susceptible to damage during the installation process. Unfinished flooring can also be damaged, but it can be remedied during the finishing process.
Engineered wood: $6.20 per square footPrefinished: $5.50 per square footUnfinished: $4.75 to $5 per square footLaminate: $2 per square footVinyl: $1 to $5 per square foot
Prices always fluctuate, but the listing here gives you a general idea of ranges and differences. Standard vinyl flooring will usually be most affordable, but luxury vinyl flooring can become a bit pricey and sometimes surpasses laminate in price. Laminate will come in next as the least costly type of flooring. Engineered wood usually has the distinction of being the most expensive option. It is typically a nose ahead in cost of prefinished solid hardwood, but then again, not always. Check prices because sometimes hardwood is the most expensive option depending on market conditions.
