“Based on the final look alone, what is your favorite wood species to work with and why?”
ADRIAN MOLITOR
My first choice would be number one common white oak because I like the grain and the pattern. I also like number one common red oak. I like my wood with a little bit of color to it, so when I see either one of the oaks, I know there are a bunch of finish products available with different finishing techniques as opposed to other harder woods that are more difficult to stain and can wind up splotchy.
Another one is a 3 1/4” red birch from a northern Wisconsin mill with some gnarl and burl in it. I’ve done a couple of those with a real simple oil-modified polyurethane or something solvent-based to bring out all the color and texture. Plus, I love the smell of the dust from birch, so that is another factor.
LENNY HALL
For pure visual joy, there is nothing like the chatoyance of a vertical sapele floor in its rich, natural tone brought out by a glossy oil finish. I am fortunate to have done quite a few.
JASON VIVASH
I would have to say that wengé is my favorite wood to see in a finished floor. The obvious appeal is the rich, dark-brown grain of wengé with a highly contrasting medium-brown heartwood grain. With an almost 50/50 split between both grains, the visual texture of the face grain can go from extremely uniform to quite wild with sharp turns in the grain. The wood looks amazing with an oil finish, but also can be deepened by adding a light dye or pretone conditioner.
I have yet to install an entire floor with this species. My main use for it is to help me tell a story in a custom floor inlay. Weng. will help me portray shadow lines when I want to animate an inlay or simply as a separation between design changes in a floor. Despite the occasional nasty sliver and the need for full use of personal protective equipment, this wood always will have a special place in my designs.
