Meranti

Meranti is a versatile hardwood timber suited to a range of projects where aesthetic beauty is a priority. 

Whether your latest creation looks like a window frame, moulding, piece of furniture or general joinery job, this straight-grain wood is a hardwearing and easy to work with choice that can be machined, sanded and finished beautifully.

With straight-grain consistency, meranti trees produce long, straight pieces of lumber. It’s used for moulding, structure, furniture, cabinets, window and doors, and veneers for plywood. Meranti is one of the more affordable hardwoods due in part to numerous subspecies, prolific growing characteristics and availability.

Red meranti is not a tree species but a loose wood term that is used for lumber from trees of the shorea genus. In total there are over 190 shorea tree species and all part of the dipterocarpaceae family. These trees grow in the tropical rainforests all throughout Asia and are famous for their hardwood properties. Red meranti is a classification term based on wood properties like colour, hardness, density and weight. Trees like shorea leprosula and shorea ovalis produce top quality red meranti!

Red meranti is one of the most used and traded tropical hardwoods. It is difficult to work with hand tools because of its hardness and high density. Pre drilling is always advised when screws or nails are used.

Red meranti will absorb paint quick and multiple layers are often not sufficient. It is therefore recommended to use special oils that soak into the wood. This protects it from the elements and gives it nice colorations. Red meranti can be glued well but due to its high density it is advised to use special heavy duty glue.

Hardwoods generally come from broad-leafed, deciduous trees such as oak, beech and mahogany. The thing that defines a hardwood from a softwood is the presence of special pores in the cellular structure of the wood itself. Their complex cellular structure gives them a great dimensional stability and durability. Hardwoods are used in everything from musical instruments, boats, tools and of course, windows.

Why not request a hardwood window quote from Timber Windows Direct?