Woods
When ever possible we use sustainably forested woods or salvaged tropical varieties that have succumbed to the forces of nature or development. We have access to many of the local tropical varieties harvested by people right here in Hawaii and most importantly Maui. The following link will take you to a wonderful index of all the available woods that grow in Hawaii. http://www.mauiguild.com/Woods/index.html In the case we use other exotic varieties we always try to minimize waste. We have the equipment to make our own veneers as well as thin curf saw blades to minimize the amount of waste with each cut. Modern glues and materials make it possible to build heirloom quality furniture using veneers.
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| Maui Koa Wood |
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Paints
An exciting finish we have been using as of late is Old Fashion Milk Paint. www.milkpaint.com Enviromently safe, human safe, easy to use, as well as unlimited color variations just by mixing different colors together. It dries fast and has zero off gasing! We typically use a water born clear finish to seal the milk paint. The photo to the right is of a table and chair painted with Old Fashion Milk Paint.
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| Milk Paint Dining Set |
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Finishes
Living in a time where the world is starting to reawaken to the importance of being in harmony with nature is very exciting. Through this refound connection with nature companies are developing better non-toxic finishes. There are a lot of choices we can make when it comes to natural finishes. One of the best we have found are the age old oils derived from mother nature herself. We like to consider these products first. In applications where oils will not offer enough protection we have found that the water born urethane floor emulsion from Basic Coatings works very well. http://www.basiccoatings.com/Green/Pages/Green.aspx While not organic it has low VOC and is NMP-Free as well as very low odor. We find it to be an extremely effective finish that applies easily with a brush and dries extremely flat leaving a beautifully smooth finish that enhances wood grain.
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| Maui Harvested Opiuma Wood |
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