BRAZILIAN WOOD DEPOT
The Southeast's Premier Importer of Brazilian Hardwoods
 

RealIpe Hardwood DeckingCumaru / Brazilian Teak:

Dipteryx odorata

Cumaru hard wood – RealCumaru - decking is resistant to insect attack and decay. Cumaru – RealCumaru - decking can take some time to dry properly due to its propensity to shrink when freshly cut, but does have good stability characteristics once dry. It is one of the densest woods on the planet and is VERY durable. Our friends in South America have been using cumaru hard wood for fence posts and earth contact timbers for generations and brag about its useful life of 100 years. It is common for the Cumaru – RealCumaru - tree to reach to 160 ft in height with trunk diameters of 40 in.

Other Names and Species:

Almendrillo, Amburana, Brazilian Teak, Cumaru Rosa, Imburana de Cheiro, Tonka, Tonka Bean, Tonquin Bean

cumaru deck deckingOrigin:

Central and South America

Appearance:

The sapwood of red cumaru hard wood – RealCumaru – hard wood decking lumber is very similar to the heartwood, which ranges from red brown to deep red in color with a tight, even grain. Over time the red cumaru color will "flatten out" slightly. The species has an irregular, slightly interlocked grain and is coarse and wavy in texture. This dense, attractive Brazilian hard wood has the characteristics of ipe, but without the olive-green tone. Cumaru hard wood – RealCumaru - is sometimes referred to as Brazilian teak or southern chestnut.

Drying & Shrinkage

Very unstable when used in dry climates and it is prone to shrinkage. It is naturally seasoned and kiln dried to prevent shrinkage.

Janka Hardness:

3540 Cumaru – RealCumaru – hard wood lumber is only two and a half percent softer than ipe (Brazilin walnut), almost 3 times as hard as Red Oak (1210 Janka).

cumaru deck deckingWorkability:

Cumaru – RealCumaru - decking is one of the hardest woods on the planet, the wood is difficult to saw and bore and will have a fairly high blunting effect on tools.   Where severely interlocked grain is not present, the wood planes to a smooth surface.  Because of its high density and oily nature, the wood glues poorly. It nails and screws well; pre-boring is necessary. The dust arising from working cumaru wood flooring has been known to cause a slight allergic reaction on contact with skin for some people, and as such some care should be taken in installing and preparing this product.

Preservation:

Cumaru – RealCumaru - naturally weathers to a beautiful, silver-gray patina. To maintain this rich tone, Mesmer’s deck oil with UV inhibitor works best. Application of sealers is optional.

Sustainable

Like all of the lumber supplied by Brazilian Wood Depot, RealCumaru meets high standards for social, economic and environmental responsibility.  See RealWood.Org for more information about how purchasing this hardwood lumber fuels the economic value and preservation of the South American forests.

cumaru deck deckingDeck Installation:

Joists and support beams - Pressure treated (PT) pine lumber is most often used for joists, beams and posts underneath cumaru hard wood decking because it is cheap and is protected from weather by the cumaru decking.  This protection extends the expected life of the support lumber dramatically.

Fasteners - After choosing the hard wood decking species that you prefer, you need to decide on using screws through the face of the board or a type of hidden fastener that conceals the screws.  The hidden fasteners cost a little more but many feel that spending a little extra for the beauty of hidden fasteners is a good investment since the deck will last a lifetime.

Ventilation - When planning the layout of your deck, be sure that you allow for ventilation under your deck boards.  This will ensure the long life and extended beauty of your deck.

Railings - There are many choices to make when designing your railings and balusters (vertical pickets).  Vertical balusters are more desirable than horizontal balusters (like cable) because of safety and ease of installation.  Horizontal balusters enable children to scale the railing and require precise tautness to prevent children from squeezing between them.  BW Depot stocks wood balusters that match the decking and last a lifetime unlike PT or cedar balusters.  Aluminum and galvanized steel balusters are beautiful cost effective choices and can be mounted with matching hard wood rails, posts and handrail.  Galvanized steel railing baluster sections are much easier to install, much stronger and possibly the most cost effective option.  The Fortress Iron provides these steel railing sections at a fraction of the cost of having them custom made.   Matching hard wood handrails and posts go well with any railing choice.

For more information on deck building tips, visit our Installation Page .

For design tips visit our Cutting Edge Tips Blog.

For information on fasteners, railings and finishes visit the Accessories Page.

cumaru deck deckingShipping and Delivery

Cumaru (Brazilian teak), is very heavy hard wood decking lumber.  Shipping this lumber requires special attention to engineer every crate according to the specifications of the shipment so that the hard wood lumber arrives in excellent condition.  Receiving damaged lumber is inconvenient, costly and will delay completion of your deck project.  Brazilian Wood Depot takes special care to properly crate shipments of Cumaru hard wood lumber decking to ensure delivery of your lumber in excellent condition.

Brazilian Wood Depot is ideally located to receive hard wood lumber shipments through the most cost effective ports when shipping from Brazil.  In Georgia, we also enjoy some of the lowest overhead costs in the nation and “right to work” wages.   In addition, our lumber crating prevents against damage to the cumaru hard wood shipments.  No damage, no damage claims and our large number of shipments earns us the best shipping rates available.  All of these cost saving factors enable Brazilian Wood Depot to ship hard wood lumber decking everywhere in the United States from our own stock in Georgia at the best prices.  Our sales continue to expand with consumers’ growing awareness of the attributes of our naturally beautiful hard wood decking material.  Call us for current prices.

The quality of grade and milling is just as important to supplying the highest grade of hard wood decking lumber as careful crating and shipping.  Brazilian Wood Depot sells all of its lumber under the RealWood brand.  RealCumaru, RealCumaru, RealJatoba, RealCumaru, RealGarapa and RealMassaranduba hard wood lumber is distributed in the U.S. solely by Brazilian Wood Depot.  All other providers of these brands are supplied by Brazilian Wood Depot. 

Please go to RealWoodDepot.com to see more about the assurances of grading, milling and origin that the RealWood brand provides customers.