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Balau Wood for Exterior Shutters

9/2/16       
Mitch Suber  Member

Website: subercustomshutters.com

One of my suppliers offers exterior components made from Balau. I have used them sparingly to get a feel for them before using them on a larger basis. I am starting to use cypress less, and red grandis more so on our custom work. So far I like the density and stability of the balau, plus the parts are already sanded and primed which is a big cost savings to us. The one thing I can't determine in a short time, is rot and insect resistance. I realize there are several different woods in the balau family, I see references to red and yellow are common on the internet, but some say there is good rot resistance, some say there is little rot resistance. I believe I am working with the red in my situation. Earlier post on Woodweb don't give a lot of information into what I am looking for. Basically my question is this a good choice of material for exterior shutters, and if so, compared to what? I guess all situations are relative, but I would like to inform my customers wisely when informing them this wood would be a good choice compared to cedar or cypress. Wood is wood, but I prefer to be honest as possible when dealing with customers. Thanks for any responses.

9/10/16       #2: Balau Wood for Exterior Shutters ...
Gene Wengert - Wood Doc

Balau wood is one of the Philipine mahogany species. Within the common name group are perhaps 100 plus species. Balau refers sometimes to a grouping of these species. Because of this, it is hard to say for certain what exact species you have and therefore it's decay resistance. In fact you might have some good stuff and then the next time have poor stuff within this grouping. That is also why you see different answers when Googling the wood.

9/10/16       #3: Balau Wood for Exterior Shutters ...
Gene Wengert - Wood Doc

The best link for a listing of natural decay resistance is given below. Look at the bottom half of table 14-1. Check out footnote "b" too.

Natural decay resistance

9/12/16       #4: Balau Wood for Exterior Shutters ...
Mitch Suber

Website: http://subercustomshutters.com

Thank you Gene for responding. I know it is hard to be specific when answering questions that apply to variations in the wood. Your answer is helpful. The wood we are seeing is very dark and dense, which makes me think it is better, than if it were not. That being said, it probably does not mean it is more rot resistant. I must trust my supplier they are making an effort to be sure they are using the best wood for exterior uses. But I also realize when I use cedar or cypress, there is a variation there as well, in that some pieces hold up well, some do not last at all. The inconsistency keeps me guessing, which is not a good way to build a product.


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