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Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

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Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#41

Post by trgn »

abakker wrote: post #39
bastardoperator wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue there is zero point in using real hardwood on floors these days given vinyl planks are way cheaper, way more durable, and look nearly indistinguishable from real thing.

Hardwood floors can be re-sanded and refinished many times over, generating no waste. Vinyl floors get scratched and then thrown away. Wood is renewable, vinyl comes from oil wells. I'm not certain this is actually logical.

And you feel it, barefoot, touching it, it feels more natural.

Hardwood floors cleans better too, more hygienic. Hard to put into words.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#42

Post by alistairSH »

bastardoperator wrote: post #37
frozenlettuce wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recently I was watching Property Brothers and saw two episodes where both houses had Brazilian Hardwood flooring. The funny thing is that I live in Brazil and it is quite rare to find houses with that type of flooring - the bureaucracy and costs associated make it very expensive - but that might not be the case if the customer is Canadian

I would argue there is zero point in using real hardwood on floors these days given vinyl planks are way cheaper, way more durable, and look nearly indistinguishable from real thing.

We went with a mid-grade LVP in the basement (ease of install, cost, and water-resistance). It's fine in that use case, but it has some drawbacks over wood. The primary one I've noticed is the damage pattern (from moving furniture, etc) isn't good - wood patinas better, where LVP just gets gouges. Maybe there are more expensive LVP options that don't do this.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#43

Post by nemo44x »

ljf wrote: post #29
foobarian wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My porch is made of that newfangled plastic wood and as much as I hate the idea, I love how long it will last.

We have had that plastic wood down for 5 years and it is perfect. 2 years ago I extended a small bit of decking and used real wood as it isn't that visible and was so much cheaper. Already two years after it looks terrible and I'll be amazed if it lasts 5 years. Sadly plastic wood is brilliant. I can see it outlasting the frame it is built on.

You need to seal and stain the wood. Depending on the brand that could mean every year or every 2 or 3 years. The wood will rot otherwise. But maintained then pressure treated pine (or outdoor hardwood) will last a long time.

You’ve also pointed out the problem with plastic. It fades and if you were to add new plastic it would look off.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#44

Post by dwater »

digging wrote: post #30
foobarian wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My porch is made of that newfangled plastic wood and as much as I hate the idea, I love how long it will last.

Will it? I'm not aware of any plastics that are insanely durable, they just don't rot. But treated wood also doesn't rot. I'd expect a lot of weathering and surface degradation at a similar rate to typical woods.

> treated wood also doesn't rot

That is a pretty broad statement so perhaps you're thinking of a different thing than me when you say "treated wood", but the typical pressure treated pine you get at big box home improvement stores will absolutely rot. They reformulated the treating agent in 2004 so it's no longer using arsenic, and since then pressure treated wood just doesn't last as long. Generally in my area, fences and decks built with standard pressure treated pine look good for about 6 months, then look bad for 5 years, then start to fall apart.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#45

Post by bluGill »

Tade0 wrote: post #36
hedora wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The technician that works on our piano reglued some of the ivory. He said that, in the worst case, he could give us a replacement, since he has a pile of antique ivory he got from the keys of ruined/rebuilt pianos. If we ever fully restore the keys, we’d opt for not-ivory.

Every pre-WW2 piano I've seen was crooked beyond repair and untunable. I bet there are far more donor instruments than functioning ones, considering that a lot can happen in 70 years.

There are, but not all ivory looks alike so finding a match is hard. Which is why someone who wants to restore an antique piano to new would be interested in new ivory if a sustainable source is available.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#46

Post by bluGill »

trgn wrote: post #41
abakker wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hardwood floors can be re-sanded and refinished many times over, generating no waste. Vinyl floors get scratched and then thrown away. Wood is renewable, vinyl comes from oil wells. I'm not certain this is actually logical.

And you feel it, barefoot, touching it, it feels more natural. Hardwood floors cleans better too, more hygienic. Hard to put into words.

Hardwood is always covered in a plastic finish. Yes it feels different, but it is still plastic.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#47

Post by trgn »

bluGill wrote: post #46
trgn wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you feel it, barefoot, touching it, it feels more natural. Hardwood floors cleans better too, more hygienic. Hard to put into words.

Hardwood is always covered in a plastic finish. Yes it feels different, but it is still plastic.

Is it? Are your referring to the varnish that's applied after?

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#48

Post by cinntaile »

bluGill wrote: post #46
trgn wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you feel it, barefoot, touching it, it feels more natural. Hardwood floors cleans better too, more hygienic. Hard to put into words.

Hardwood is always covered in a plastic finish. Yes it feels different, but it is still plastic.

I don't know where you got this from, but I can assure you that's not correct.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#49

Post by simonsarris »

bastardoperator wrote: post #37
frozenlettuce wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recently I was watching Property Brothers and saw two episodes where both houses had Brazilian Hardwood flooring. The funny thing is that I live in Brazil and it is quite rare to find houses with that type of flooring - the bureaucracy and costs associated make it very expensive - but that might not be the case if the customer is Canadian

I would argue there is zero point in using real hardwood on floors these days given vinyl planks are way cheaper, way more durable, and look nearly indistinguishable from real thing.

> look nearly indistinguishable

maybe I'm top 1% neurotic about these things but I can tell from Zillow images alone. And definitely by feel of walking on them and the distinct noise they make. There's no comparison.

I seriously doubt they are indistinguishable for most people, but I could be very wrong, especially since so many people go for them.

Re: Exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested

#50

Post by barelyauser »

juancn wrote: post #5

I got confused about the name "ipê" (first time I hear it, my Portuguese is basic at most), it's also known as "lapacho" in Argentina, "tajy" in Paraguay and "araguaney" in Venezuela.

"You can know the name of that bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird [...]".
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