The second life of rubber wood

Rubberwood is another gift that nature gives us. You would think that once it has fulfilled its primary role of providing the latex that forms the basis of natural rubber, its job is done. But not so, in fact, not any more. When it becomes useless to the recipients of latex, it becomes a very important source of wood for furniture, flooring or toys.

Hevea brasiliensis, as the rubber tree is scientifically called, is native to Brazil's Amazon rainforests. Because of its importance, acclimatization in other areas has been attempted since the 19th century. The first areas were British colonies. Gradually crops appeared in south and south-east Asia and now, in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, there are 70% of the world's total number of rubber trees.

Although still found in the wild, the rubber tree grows mainly in plantations. It needs a tropical and subtropical climate, protected from frost (frost alters the properties of latex, making rubber inelastic). It grows to 25-30 m in height, with a diameter between 0.3 and 1 m. The tree produces latex until it is 25-30 years old, after which it is no longer useful for latex production. In the past, trees were felled and burned immediately to make room for new crops. They were not used otherwise because the wood was very susceptible to attack by fungi, insects and molds. Sometimes it would also get infected from the knife used to cut the latex.

With the development of chemical treatments after 1980, wood could be used to make furniture. Immediately after cutting, the wood is impregnated with substances that make it resistant to attack by insects, molds and fungi, after which it is dried and turned into lumber,

timber panels

or veneer.

Rubberwood has a uniform, straight-grained structure with large to very large pores arranged in no particular arrangement.

Sometimes brown minerals and gums are found in the pores. The color of the wood is light, pale yellow, sometimes with short brownish streaks. With age the color darkens. There is no difference between sapwood and heartwood, and the annual rings are distinct.

It is easy to process, both mechanically and by hand, and can be glued and colored without problems. In production it has an annoying sour odor, which disappears after processing. Contrary to its name it is not a resilient wood, having the characteristics of a hardwood. In Malaysia it is officially called Malaysian oak. After drying it is very stable, with no dimensional variations and no cracking. It is recommended for indoor use for furniture, toys, or kitchen furniture and accessories. Outdoors it should not be used because rain can wash away the protection against insects, mold, mildew and fungus, making it vulnerable.

It is used to make tables and chairs,

or bedroom furniture

or kitchen. Like any hardwood, it stains beautifully, evenly, but it can also be used in its natural color, with the little brown streaks giving it a special charm. It can be finished and antiqued to very interesting effects.

Being a hardwood, it is successfully used for flooring, even heavy traffic floors. Its dimensional stability also makes it suitable for use in high humidity areas such as kitchens. Another very important advantage is the lower cost compared to similar hardwood.

It's also used in the kitchen to make mincers,

trays and even platters.

It's one of the materials used a lot in toys.

Rubberwood is considered an environmentally friendly material. The rubber tree is one of the few species that is immediately replanted after felling. Crops are used after their primary role has ended. It is, as I said, a beautiful gift that this generous tree gives to all of us.