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Merbau Veneered Panels & Jointed Veneer

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Also known as Borneo Teak, Miraboo & Mirabow, Merbau is widely distributed throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Phillipine Islands, Pacific Islands (Fiji, Solomons, Vanuatu) and East Africa. Though the resource is not large, international demand for Merbau is high, and this hard and heavy wood is better known for its use in flooring.

Usually dark orange-brown to reddish brown or yellow-brown to orange-brown in colour, darkening and becoming more brown and reddish with time, Merbau heartwood is clearly demarcated from the sapwod, which is pale yellow to light buff, and typically 40-70mm wide.

With a fairly coarse and interlocked grain, and exhibiting an attractive ribbon figure on radial grain, some Merbau logs contain small sulphur yellow and darker coloured deposits within the vessel cavities and these sometimes show up as small spots or streaks on the veneer, making the appearance seem speckled with gold.

Merbau sometimes has an oily feel, can be lustrous, and generally finishes well. Merbau takes stains, varnish, and paint well has good polishing characteristics, but occasional surface preparation may be required due to oily patches.