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Walnut has regained popularity over recent years and is being specified and used by designers and architects for use in modern 'high end' commercial and residential projects in conjunction with metal and stainless steel, leather and glass designs to give a very clean but contrasting 'new' look. The walnut tree is a fruit tree and produces walnuts and prefers to grow in open areas rather than canopy forest. The trees grow well in the richer soil which can be found to the west of the Appalachian Mountains and into states which boarder the Mississippi valley, commonly known as the Midwest. Walnut trees only represent around 10% of the makeup of tree species in the USA and relatively scarcity of the species in combination with a growing demand and has led to a dramatic increase in price over recent years. At its peak in 2005-2006 American Black walnut was the most expensive forest product available from the USA.
The dark coloured hearwood of the walnut is a dark chocolate brown to deep brown/purple colour. The lighter coloured sapwood is almost cream white in colour when the log is fresh sawn. So a to darken the colour of the lighter coloured sapwood, fresh sawn walnut timber goes through a steaming process, this helps to blend the colours and also helps to relieve the stress in the wood.
THe timber has a nice grain pattern and machines and finished very well.
In comparrison to species such as Maple or Oak, walnut is relatievly soft hardwood and will mark and score. Not recommended for use in a high traffic area such as sports halls or dance studio's.
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Large Knots and
Colour Mix |
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