The Tropical Beauty of Coconut Palmwood

Posted on July 11, 2008
Tag(s): Green Building, Green Furnishings, The Great Green Outdoors
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coconut palmwood Coconut palm trees are useful for their plentiful coconuts, but after the trees have been plantation grown for about 80 years, they no longer produce the tasty treat. When they become dormant, the old trees are cut down and new ones are planted. Until recent years, the old palms were viewed as by-products and discarded. Thankfully, the realization to utilize this valuable renewable resource for a variety of green building products has come to light.

The trees may only grow to be around 12″ in diameter, but they typically grow to 100 feet, providing valuable hardwood timber. Coconut trees have no annual growth rings, rays, heartwood or branches, so palmwood is free from knots and other such imperfections. Color tones and hues of the wood range from golden to near ebony, with dark brown flecks that enhance its natural beauty. Processed Palmwood is resistant to termites and borers, as well as mold and wood rot, making it suitable to both interiors and exteriors, in wet and dry climates.

Palmwood has many applications as both a structural and interior design material. The harder, high-density wood is suitable for general structural purposes such as pillars, trusses, rafting, furniture, window and doorframes, floors, decking and floor joists. Medium density Palmwood can be used for walls, ceiling joists and horizontal studs. Low density Palmwood is used in non-load bearing applications like wood panelling, internal trim and ceilings, as well as homewares.

Smith & Fong manufacturers Durapalm palmwood flooring, plywood and paneling made without urea formaldehyde. The durable tongue and groove floor planks come in lengths from two to six feet in length and are provided as unfinished or prefinished flooring. Durapalm can be installed by either a nail-down or glue-down method.

Pacific Green produces beautiful, exotic looking furniture.

Source: Wikipedia