A Rich Experience
Solid wood offers the richest experience in furniture. Its beauty is unparalleled. Each piece of Masaya & Company furniture is handcrafted from solid wood. We use no stain or artificial finish on our products. Why? Because the natural beauty of dense tropical hardwood cannot be improved by artificial finishes. Natural wood is simply more vibrant than plastic or metal, especially the beautiful and colourful grains of the tropical hardwoods used in all Masaya & Company products. Not convinced? Touch the wood and you will be. No other furniture feels better to the human touch than solid natural wood. No plywood, MDF, or veneers, our products are solid wood. Mass produced furniture from China is often made from cheap low grade wood with stains and finishes to make it marketable. You will see and feel the difference.
Wood has been the choice of the most discerning architects and designers throughout history. Classic furniture has always been wood furniture. Whether it is a floor, a special dining table, or a remarkable front door… the first choice is natural hardwood. Other materials are substitutes or imitations. Wood is special, beautiful, unique and renewable. Solid wood furniture lasts for generations and does not go out of style. Here is some information on the woods we use and trees we plant:
Teak (Tectona grandis)
Teak is one of the most prized hardwoods worldwide. Teak is highly valued for its durability and water resistance and has been used for centuries in boat building, exterior construction, and furniture. It has its own natural oil within that makes it resistant to the elements. Most wood patio furniture and Classic Danish mid century modern furniture is made from teak.
Teak presents naturally as a light blond brown and takes a deep honey color when kept indoors. Outdoors, it will darken to pleasant silver gray and its natural color can be restored with simple maintenance. Teak is great for either interior furniture or outdoor patio furniture. Teak is an excellent plantation tree, as it restores ruined land to forest, and provides four times the jobs as cattle farming.
Ipe (Handroanthus spp or Tabebuia crysanthia)
Known also as Cortez and Ironwood, Ipe is the hardest of the tropical hardwoods, three times as hard as oak. Ipe is used primarily for outdoor patio furniture and deck wood. Ranging throughout Central and South America, Ipe (“ee-pay”) is valued for its durability, strength, and legendary resistance to weather, pests, and decay.
Ipe is the first choice worldwide for outdoor decking. Ipe presents as a beautiful dark color with a tight grain and very consistent brown coloring. Full exposure to the sun weathers Ipe to a soft grey patina. This is the best wood for outdoor uses, bar none. We offer Ipe in outdoor furniture and in beautiful outdoor decking, a much better choice than the North American pressured treated woods.
Rosita Walnut (Hyeronima alchorneoides)
Known in Nicaragua as Nanciton, and in Costa Rica as Pilon, and in Honduras as Rosita, Rosita Walnut has beautiful rich, dark, velvety tones and intriguing grain patterns which are similar to North American walnut but darker in general. It is a very durable hardwood with a consistent chocolate brown color and beautiful grain pattern.
Rosita Walnut (Nanciton) is perfect for dining tables or chairs or live edge products where the rich color, texture, and grain patterns are easily appreciated. Rosita Walnut is our darkest tropical hardwood and offers a nice contrast when matched with lighter woven manila or leather.
Royal Mahogany (Carapa guianensis)
In Nicaragua Royal Mahogany is also known as Cedro Macho, in Brazil as Andiroba, and in Costa Rica as Caobilla (little mahogany). Carapa guianensis is in the mahogany family and has a gorgeous light reddish brown color similar to true mahogany (Swetenia macrophylla). Part of the beauty of Royal Mahogany is the variety within its grain ranging from dark areas to light.
The natural contrast occurring within its hue makes Royal Mahogany ideal for natural oil finishes that enhance the subtle and interesting shifts on the surface. Royal Mahogany is a character wood with interesting knots, resin pockets, and grain patterns that provide the real natural wood intrigue. Royal Mahogany produces a spectacular table top, and is lighter in weight than Rosita Walnut, Teak or Canela.
Canela (Leucaena salvadorensis)
Known also as Frijolillo in Nicaragua, Canela is a honey colored tropical hardwood what can be used for flooring, decking, or indoor and outdoor furniture. Very uniform in color with a deep sparkling grain pattern, Canela is favored by those wanting a more blonde or honey tone. Masaya & Co. also uses Canela in our live edge tables. Canela is very dense and presents a beautiful lighter table top or credenza surface.
Canela presents a distinct handsome contrast with Rosita Walnut for inlayed joinery. The wood is a very clear grain rarely having knots or resin pockets. It is similar in appearance and uses to Cumaru (Dipteryx odorata) a common Brazilian species used for outdoor wood decks and prized as flooring.