Is Acacia Wood Any Good? Find Out Now!
The reason why Acacia is very popular in the United States and in most European countries is its low cost and because it is easy to find. On top of that, acacia wood can be used in multiple ways, which speaks to its versatility. It enables you to cover up the floor with elm, hemlock, or pine. All are good and would fit any room, making it more luxurious.
Acacia is often an ace up the sleeve for decoration. Since you can install it in any room, you can lay out pieces in bathrooms, dining rooms, living rooms. People who love it prefer to use it in big spaces like living rooms to match the kitchen.
Acacia wood, however, is suited for bedrooms and restrooms, yet not many lean towards this option. The truth is acacia can be part of the decoration of bedrooms and other spaces. For terraces, it is a good choice as long as the exposure to the sunlight is minimum.
You can play with acacia and have plenty of patterns and styles. The acacia wood is so versatile that you can carve it, seal it, or customize it by modifying its pattern. This wood can be even stained to make it vintage and stylish. Acacia, however, looks better with natural stains. But this is a personal choice.
Acacia wood is eco-friendly
Contrary to popular belief, it is actually a sustainable product that requires no pesticides. The way acacia is commercialized is far from contaminating.
Besides, you can make long or short slabs from acacia. You don’t need to make a great deal of effort to cut it and adapt it to what you would like.
Customizable
On top of that, it is more customizable than other types of wood. You can get a wealth of patterns with acacia. The contractor will decide the steps to follow in case you plan to carve or stain the flooring. Acacia gives a lot of options to take, but it is always best to leave the work to the contractor in charge. They will tell you which pattern suits you most and will help you to select the acacia that can support the activities at home without buckling or breaking.
Affordable… relatively
Another reason to pick acacia over rosewood (for example) is the cost, as the Acacia price is slightly above the average. It is neither cheap nor expensive, but it is still affordable considering it is exotic wood. If you want to economize as your budget is low, then oak can beat acacia. Nonetheless, this wood will give a look that oak won’t.
However, if you’re planning to buy wood for furniture, acacia wood is not a choice. This material is more costly than maple and oak, which are more exclusive to furniture. To cut down costs, stay with acacia for flooring and oak for furniture.
Just do not expect oak and maple to last as much as acacia, as they won’t. What distinguishes acacia from other wood pieces is the durability and resistance to the passing of time.
The acacia square foot can cost from 3 to 8 dollars. Revising prices in other countries like India and the Philippines, the price per cubic foot and square feet is the same. While it will never be as affordable as oak, such a high price is justifiable.
Durability
Granted that you use untreated and unprotected, acacia will equally stand for 40 years or more. Yes, acacia doesn’t need such a treatment to last or resist the weather or cold. It means it won’t break or get rotten very easily.
The other property of its sturdiness is the resistance to fungus, thus it is useful in dank environments. Acacia wood will scratch but it won’t easily. You’ll need to mop umpteen times to leave marks. It is long-lasting wood.
Diversity
Acacia is naturally in 1200 forms, which are applicable for flat surfaces. Acacia stems from 1,200 tree and shrub species, so it is not tricky to find it at all. This material comes from wattles like Mudgee wattle and Green wattle. There are certainly many more, but these ones are second to none.
Generally, people like around 23 species of acacia for flooring.
Is acacia wood workable?
Acacia is excellent for flooring and furniture, and it is even better than oak and maple because of its durability. It matches perfectly when combined with other sorts of wood. When properly maintained, it can last decades, but if it’s not the case, it will hold at least 10 years unstained.
One point we didn’t t mention above is the sunlight can damage it. Avoid laying out pieces where there’s too much heat. To improve its lifespan, install the planks in the interiors, far from the stove or the fireplace, and in a humid place.