If you are considering installing hardwood floors in your home, one of the best types of wood to use is mesquite. Mesquite is known for being beautiful, tough and able to stand up to just about anything. You will absolutely love the way that it looks when it is in your home, and you will be able to enjoy it for years to come. The color and the grain characteristics buried deep within the wood made it a very attractive option for homeowners.
But as the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at the University of Arizona notes, mesquite wood is also great for a variety of other reasons that have nothing to do with hardwood flooring. Let’s explore some of the many benefits of mesquite.
Perfect for Barbecuing or Fires
Mesquite wood burns very slowly and generates a lot of heat. If you build a fire with it, it will last for a long time and it will provide you with the warmth you are looking for. It can also be used to cook, and the smoke that it generates adds a very distinct flavor to meals when you use it for that purpose. It is most often used to prepare smoked barbecue, and anyone who’s tasted mesquite-smoked chicken, pork or any other meat knows just how fantastic it is.
Drought-Resistant and Low Maintenance
Mesquite trees don’t require much water and are known for being very tough and durable. They can survive for a long time without any water and can provide shade and a home for wildlife in parts of the country where other trees will not survive due to the local weather conditions. This also makes mesquite wood very resilient and low maintenance, which is why it’s perfect for use in flooring any many other applications.
Elegant and Durable Furniture
Because mesquite wood is extremely hard and dense, it is ideal for creating things like furniture. Items made from mesquite wood will last for decades and require very little maintenance or care to stay in great shape. Many woodworkers have also turned to mesquite for decorative woodworking over the years. Mesquite wood offers them many options and gives them the chance to create pieces that will stand the test of time.
Installing hardwood flooring in your home is a big investment, so before you do it, you should consider which type of wood you ultimately want to use. Faifer & Co. recommends mesquite wood to those homeowners who value both beauty and durability, and we know that you will be blown away by your new mesquite flooring. Reach out to us at 830-216-4189 today to learn more about our flooring options.
Mesquite wood displays rich character and color not found in other hardwoods. The handsome appearance, unparalleled strength and rustic Texas style complete a grand entrance for any stairway. Faifer and Company, Inc supplies a full range of artfully-crafted mesquite wood stair parts to complete simple and elaborate staircases of all varieties.
Faifer and Company’s mesquite wood selections are reclaimed pieces from Texas ranchlands, carefully chosen for their aged charm and inimitable detail. The individual pieces combine to create a striking impression and complementary Texas motif in your foyer, living room or basement. An extensive selection of sizes with nosings, risers and reducers allows you to create any staircase and fulfill your unique elevation, height and aesthetic requirements.
Browse the stair gallery to take a closer look at completed mesquite wood staircases. See the parts listed below to start building your staircase and contact Faifer and Company Inc. for distinctive wooden stair treads and risers in Texas.
Will have clear and possibly small knots, checks and other natural defects allowed, along with the natural varying color of the wood. Sapwood is not allowed on finished surfaces. Lengths vary from 9 inches to 48 inches with tongue and groove. Ends are square cut. On average the lengths will vary between 16″ – 22″.
Will have semi clear, small to large knots, checks and other natural defects allowed, along with the natural varying color of the wood. Sapwood is not allowed on finished surfaces. Lengths vary from 9 inches to 48 inches with tongue and groove. Ends are square cut. On average the lengths will vary between 16″ – 22″.
Wood Blocks – Only one grade available. Knots, checks and other natural defects are allowed. Partly filled with black epoxy. Width is 3 inches and lengths from 2 inches to 5 inches.
The Janka (or side) hardness test measures the force required to embed a .444 – inch steel wall to half its diameter in wood. It is one of the best measurements of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. By the same token, it is also a good indicator of how hard or easy a species is to saw or nail. Northern Red Oak, for example, has a Janka hardness rating of 1290. Brazilian Cherry, with a rating of 2350, is nearly twice as hard. If you’re accustomed to working with Red Oak and decide to tackle a job with Brazilian Cherry, you can expect it to be much harder to cut and nail.
| Wood Species | Rating |
| Ipe | 3680 |
| Brazilian Teak | 3540 |
| Brazilian Cherry (jatoba) | 2820 |
| Live Oak | 2680 |
| Purpleheart | 2520 |
| Spotted Gum | 2473 |
| Mesquite | 2345 |
| Santos Mahogany | 2200 |
| Sydney Blue Gum | 2023 |
| Merbau | 1925 |
| Jarrah | 1910 |
| Hickory/Pecan | 1820 |
| Padauk | 1725 |
| Wenge | 1630 |
| Brazilian Maple | 1500 |
| Sapele | 1500 |
| Hard Maple | 1450 |
| Australian Cypress | 1375 |
| White Oak | 1360 |
| Tasmanian Oak | 1350 |
| White Ash | 1320 |
| Beech | 1300 |
| Red Oak (Northern) | 1290 |
| Birch | 1260 |
| Iroko | 1260 |
| Antique Heart Pine | 1225 |
| Thai/Burmese Teak | 1078 |
| American Black Walnut | 1010 |
| Black Cherry | 950 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Longleaf) | 870 |
| Southern Yellow Pine (Loblolly & Shortleaf) | 690 |
| Douglas Fir | 660 |
.Source: Hardness ratings for most species taken from Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (Agriculture Handbook 72, Forest Product Laboratory, Forest Service U.S. Department of Agriculture; revised 1987). Except for Australian Cypress, Wenge, African Padauk, Merbau and Santos Mahogany, which were provided by International Hardwood Flooring; Heart Pine by Mountain Lumber and Mesquite by Mesquite Products of Texas.
Douglas Fir rating is an average of ratings for coast, Interior West and Interior North species.
(Ranked by percentage of tangential shrinkage from green to oven-dry moisture content)
The numbers in the chart reflect the dimensional change coefficient for the various species, measured as tangential shrinkage or swelling within normal moisture content limits of 6 – 14 percent. Tangential change values will normally reflect changes in plainsawn wood. Quartersawn wood will usually be more dimensionally stable than plainsawn.
The dimensional change coefficient can be used to calculate expected shrinkage or swelling. Simply multiply the change in moisture content by the change coefficient, than multiply by the width of the board.
Example: A mesquite (change coefficient – .00129) board 5 inches wide experiences a moisture content change from 6 to 9 percent – a change of 3 percentage points.
(Calculation: 3 x .00129 = .00387 x 5 = .019 inches).
In actual practice, however, change would be diminished in a complete floor, as the boards’ proximity to each other tends to restrain movement. The chart is best used for comparison.
* Although some tropical woods such as Australian Cypress, Brazilian Cherry, Merbau and Wenge appear in this chart to have excellent moisture stability compared to domestic oak, actual installations of many of these woods have demonstrated significant movement in use. To avoid problems later, extra care should be taken to inform potential users of these tendencies prior to purchase.
| Wood Species | Rating |
| Beech | 11.9 |
| Jarrah | 11.0 |
| White Oak | 10.5 |
| Hard Maple | 9.9 |
| Yellow Birch | 9.5 |
| Hickory/Pecan | 8.9 |
| Brazilian Maple | 8.8 |
| Northern Red Oak | 8.6 |
| Brazilian Cherry (jatoba) | 8.5 |
| Bubinga | 8.4 |
| Brazilian Walnut (Ipe) | 8.0 |
| White Ash | 7.8 |
| American Black Walnut | 7.8 |
| Brazilian Teak | 7.6 |
| Southern Yellow Pine | 7.5 |
| Sapele | 7.4 |
| Douglas Fir | 7.3 |
| Black Cherry | 7.1 |
| Santos Mahogany | 6.2 |
| Purpleheart | 6.1 |
| Thai/Burmese Teak | 5.8 |
| Wenge | 5.8 |
| Padauk | 5.2 |
| Merbau | 4.6 |
| Iroko | 3.8 |
| Mesquite | 3.2 |
| Australian Cypress | 2.8 |
.Source: stability ratings taken from Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (Agriculture Handbook 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; revised 1987).
