Top portion is finished with water-base urethane; bottom with oil-modified polyurethane.

Appearance

Color: Heartwood is uniformly pinkish to dark red, often a rich, dark red mahogany hue, turning a deep brownish red with age and exposure; sapwood is pale. Frequent black streaks with occasional ingrown grain.
Grain: Frequently interlocked or wavy. Texture is even and moderately coarse.
Variations within species and grades: Moderate to high color variation.

Properties

Hardness (Janka): 1910; 48% harder than Northern red oak.
Dimensional Stability: Below average (change coefficient .00396; 7% less stable than red oak).
Durability: Dense and very strong; high resistance to wear.

Workability
Sawing/Machining: Difficult to work because of high density and irregular grain; carbide tooling recommended.
Sanding: Sands well, but dust can stain fabric and wall treatments.
Nailing: Good holding ability.
Finishing: Red color can bleed into some finishes — a problem when mixing species.
Comments: Resistant to termites and fungus.