Understanding Wood Choices for Your Bali Gazebos
Wooden bali gazebos may be made from many different types of timber, but the most common ones are Merbau, Bengkirai and Coconut. Here’s a brief description of the woods.
MERBAU
Merbau (Intsia Sp) is a large tropical tree that can be found from the Malaysian mainland through Indonesia to the Pacific Ocean and northern Australia. It grows to around 50 meters (160 feet) tall with a highly buttressed trunk. It is the official tree of the United States territory of Guam. The timber is medium brown colored with reddish/orange highlights. It can contain golden yellow flecking that runs through the pores, considered to be attractive by some. Merbau undergoes a medium to large degree of color change, with the muting of the color variation from when fresh milled and with darkening over time to deeper orange-brown color. Other names of Merbau are Ipil, Kwila (PNG), and Taal (the Philippines)
Besides for gazebo, merbau is highly regarded for a broad range of applications, including furniture, boatbuilding and house building, especially for high-class exterior joinery such as windows, solid panel doors, framing, parquet and weatherboarding. As a heavy hardwood, it is not easy to work and therefore is unsuitable for veneer and plywood.
Merbau is a very durable and termite-resistant wood. In the humid tropics under cover, it can last for 30-40 years. In colder climates, it is extremely durable in frosts and drastic temperature changes.
BENGKIRAI
The same as Merbau, Bengkirai or Bangkirai (Shorea Sp.) is also a large tropical tree than can grow to as high as 60 meters. It is endemic throughout Malaysia and Indonesia. Bengkirai timber has similar characteristics to Teakwood except that it has fewer grains. A solid hardwood with waxy silky feel and fine to medium texture, Bengkirai is easier to work than Merbau. It has a Teakwood-like yellow brown, reddish brown and sometimes purplish brown heartwood. Those characteristics make it a wood of choice for gazebos, especially those with bali-styled carved posts and beams.
Bengkirai has also been widely used as window joinery, domestic decking, flooring and stairs as well as in furniture, boat building and other applications Although fairly weatherproof, Bengkirai is probably more suitable for warmer climates as it sometimes cracks with exposure to extreme frosts and temperature changes. However, as in many other hardwoods, the small cracks generally only affect its aesthetic and not its durability.
COCONUT
Coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is very common throughout the tropics. It has a growing range of 25 meters high. Coconut is relatively easy to work for a beautiful surface finish. This is because coconut trees have no growth rings and branches, therefore they are free from knots. The timber has a color tone from golden to near ebony. It is as hard as a regular hardwood but sold at a significantly lower price.
Coconut timber is the most widely available material in the market. It is also a highly renewable and biodegradable product that protects the environment. Besides for gazebos, coconut timber has a wide range of use, such as panelling, flooring, furniture, and decorating elements.