MAHOGANY
JILLIAN SZACHURY
Figure 1: Mahogany can be used for many different purposes, where this image shows it being used for flooring, and wall and ceiling coverings.
Mahogany wood utilized for any sort of use is easy to maintain, which is why we commonly see hardwood flooring present in so many homes and commercial buildings. It will continue to look brand new for far longer than a material that is laminated, for example, where laminated materials can become easily stained and grimy. To maintain a wooden material like Mahogany, all it needs is weekly dusting, or sweeping, mopping, and oftentimes polishing if you want to help keep its overall shine and beauty. The indoor air quality of wood is better than any other material as well, where this material does not have an issue with collecting pollen, or other chemicals, for which we see this being a detrimental issue in other materials.
Figure 3: Not only is mahogany used in interiors, but it can be used for exterior purposes too.
Overall, wood offers incredible environmental benefits that directly impact communities all over the world. It is the only major building material that is renewable and sustainable. Compared with concrete and steel, wood products help to increase a building’s energy efficiency and minimize the energy consumed throughout the life of the product. Some other reasonings for why wood is so beneficial for the environment are:
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Wood is better for the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, and other impacts.
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Wood helps reduce energy consumption across the life cycle of growth, harvest, transport, manufacture and construction compared to other structural building products.
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Wood can improve energy efficiency.
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Wood products store carbon
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Using wood helps to sustain our forests and increases our carbon storage potential
MAHOGANY is a much sought after-wood, based on its hardness, resilience, and beauty. It is commonly regarded as the world's leading wood for fine quality furniture, sculpture, carving, interior trim and other applications. This type of wood is typically seen in red, pink, or salmon colored with first cut. As the wood grows older, the hues deepen in color, eventually taking on a rich red or brown-red cast. It resists swelling, shrinking, and warping over time.
Since mahogany is very scarce and difficult to access, we do not see this material being used that often, especially because its so expensive. What makes this type of wood so unique is that it is so rare to find, so the beauty behind this material is that much more special when one is able to grasp it. Mahogany is also unique in the way that it comes in a variety of different shades, where this incredible material can be displayed in a variety of different ways. From the images displayed, we see that this material can be used in spaces ranging from modern designs to traditional ones too.
ASTM's wood standards are instrumental in the evaluation and testing of the physical and chemical properties of a wooden material like Mahogany. Some examples of testings for this material are listed below:
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D2898 - 10 Standard Practice for Accelerated Weathering of Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood for Fire Testing
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D1102 - 84 Standard Test Method for Ash in Wood
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D1110 - 84 Standard Test Methods for Water Solubility of Wood
Some other organizations that test this material are:
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JD Mahogany Alliance
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Intertek