Property Plus
Coimbatore
Cheaper, but just as good
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The concept of tapping the rubber tree for purposes other than resin withdrawal was an amazing entrepreneurial move, says RANJANI GOVIND
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Pretty useful: Uniform spread of grains makes rubber wood products attractive
Royal in their features, teak and rose wood may be the king and queen of the wooden world, but the prince is now crying for attention…It’s rubber wood, making its presence felt because of its nature, personality and temperament. Apart from the hard fact about the non-affordability of teak, one cannot dismiss the rubber wood campaigners highlighting the advantages of the wonder tree, untapped for commercial use until a decade ago.
According to Anil R. Pillai of Rubberwood India, Kottayam (undertaking of the Rubber Board, Ministry of Commerce, branded as Indiawood), this wood has come into focus only since a decade and Rubberwood India has been actively promoting doors in India. People also took time to accept rubber wood for furniture; it’s a mental block that the tree is used for extraction of rubber alone. Of course the concept of tapping the tree for purposes other than resin withdrawal was an amazing entrepreneurial move.
Educating people on the tree and its value additions will increase the respect for the movement, feels Pillai. Now there is a steady increase in awareness, acceptability and sales of rubber wood. Technological leaps in the chemical treatment for keeping termites and borers at bay were relatively recent steps that helped the tree gain international acceptance for home use.
Lifetime guarantee
After the extraction of rubber, the tree is uprooted and is treated for a year before it is given a lifetime guarantee tag at Rubberwood India in Kottayam where their boards are machined to bring in 8 x 4 ft. panels of various thickness suited for entrances, modular kitchens or furniture. Rubber wood can be tapped for any kind of furniture making as it has three coats of polyurethane that makes it scratch-proof too.
Rubber tree, a native of Brazil, is now grown in 10 million hectares in tropical regions of Asia, Africa and America. India is the third largest producer of natural rubber with 85 per cent grown in Kerala and the rest in North-Eastern States.
Inherent limitations
Interior designers reiterate that rubber wood is cost-effective and the features are best suited for mass-produced furniture. But the predictable uniform grains may not appeal to high-end connoisseurs who may prefer some exclusivity in their pieces. So, patterning the logs to look creative is the key in using rubber wood. The irregular course of grains in teak and the sudden appearance of knots in pine are what makes them different from rubber wood.
The limitations in width posed restrictions in furniture making, which is now overcome with state-of-the-art machinery which is able to conceal the joints in a strikingly patterned approach. Rubber wood would be ideal for dismantle-furniture that come in packed boxes because of its shorts lengths. Perhaps this is the reason international assemble-furniture giants such as Allen Key Furniture and IKEA use rubber wood too in their smaller segments. They are ideal for doors as they are sturdy with no bends and curves.
Consider this:
- Rubber wood is 40 per cent cheaper than teak and 20 per cent cheaper than country wood.
- It is lighter than teak but its density enables a resistance to screw and nail withdrawal, making it suitable for carving too.
- A rubber tree matures between 7-16 years, but a teak takes 50-70 years to be a seasoned medium.
- Rubber wood can be termed eco-friendly as it is a plantation product.
- Rubber wood is usually in white, yellow or cream, an ideal base for any kind of outer finish.
- Rubber grains are generally symmetrical…just right for people who love uniform spread of grains.
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Property Plus
Coimbatore
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