Use of Santos mahogany in a bathroom

[rudy de haas]

hi:

The next big job here is a new bathroom to be built from the concrete up - once I get the stuff that's there stripped out. It is in the basement but this is Lethbridge (Alberta) so external humidity is not an issue (the area it's going into stays at around 20% RH year round with no help from us). Internal, of course is, because once that room has a shower, a tile floor, a basin, and a show tub the RH will be far more variable and have a much wider range.

I'm thinking of using Santos Mahogany for the cabinets and finished interior wall sections, but neither the Wood Database nor a quick google search gave me much of an answer about how risky this choice is. Hence the question: has anyone here used Santos mahogany in a bathroom subject to significant humidity change (probably from 95%+ right after the kid showers to 15% on a dry summer night when we're away)? and, if so, how did it turn out for you?

[ian maybury]

Can't speak for the specific wood, but I've used birch ply and it's been fine so far for 5 years after careful sealing with a two pack lacquer. It was a bath shelf, the bath is used only occasionally, and it lent itself to being sealed on all sides - it was bonded to a tiled step using silicone sealer after sealing.

TBH i'm a bit cautious about it - and doubt if it would have worked if it was a piece of cabinetry which would be next to impossible to fully seal. Wouldn't have done it except that it's fairly easily replaced. The trouble with any wood is that even a small leak will likely result in water wicking in under the coating and causing discolouration - so plenty of initially well thinned lacquer sounds advisable.

Ventilation is a big deal, and to a lesser extent distance from the source of e.g. steam. Most bathroom fans here in Euroland are massively undersized rubbish sold on price that don't work. If you can get sorted with a properly sized fan that delivers the air change rate required by the relevant high end HVAC/construction standards it makes an absolutely enormous difference. The bathroom goes from stuff sitting in pools of water caused by rivers of condensing steam and a propensity to mould, to not much worse than the air getting a bit humid for a short while.

In that case decent quality cabinetry that's not too close to source seems to do OK. Avoid stuff like veneered particle board like the plague. Plenty of waxing etc is advisable too to help it out...

[Chris Padilla]

The key in any high moisture environment is to vent the moisture properly. Be sure to have a good fan in there and you can just about use any wood you like.

[John C Bush]

Hi Rudy,
Our old house had Santos Mahogany plank flooring. It was covered with w-w carpet and one New Years Eve when the kids were little we stayed home, enjoying a bottle or two -----of wine, and after the ball dropped in Times Square, we celebrated by peeking under the edge of the carpet to see what the floors looked like. Man, what a delightful surprise!! By 4 AM I had ripped up the old carpet, padding, and ~~10,000 staples. Alternating 8" and 6" planks with decorative pegs thru-out the L-room, den, 3 B-rooms, long hall, 3/4 bath/powderroom, and a full bath with W&D. It was beautiful stuff. We lived there for 10 more years and the floor held up beautifully and moisture was never an issue. Sold the house to a builder and when he tore down the old house I saved the flooring and have used it for many projects, as well as flooring for our new homes bonus room. It is beautiful flooring and would be stable in your bathroom with the apropriate finish. I still have a few 100 sq ft left--one of my staff is from Lethbridge and her family comes to visit a couple times a year. I'll stap some on their roof and send it to you.(from Seattle)

[peter gagliardi]

Santos is listed as very stable, and has expansion and shrinkage characteristics very close to Teak, you will be fine. You can't pick much better.

[mreza Salav]

Thevwood is beautiful and very hard.
The question is where do you find it to make cabinets out of it.

[Andrew Hughes]

I worked with some santo mahongany once,very hard ,oily nasty stuff I didn't like the smell.Warped badly resawing.
I thought I would try something differant wish I would have used Honduras.Aj

[Jim Matthews]

Downes and Reader of Stoughton, MA recommends Cumaru as a wet area flooring material.
It might not be as pretty as the true Mahogany variants, but it's less expensive and mills well.

The dust does irritate some users, so proper ventilation when sanding is recommended.

[Marty Rose]

Contact NEWMAN LUMBER.Gulf Port Ms. They have STORE HOUSES FULL, and I'am sure they can help you. Extreemly nice folks. Besure and wear a mask,I developed a cough,kinda bad after using. The smell was nice and sweet,thus the reason for no mask. Not any more.

[rudy de haas]

Thanks!

However..

1 - I'm not thinking of using wood flooring - that will be tile. This is for the cabinets and the bits of wall that show.

2 - I'd be happy to have visitors (310 Laval blvd, west) but canada customs is a pain and the value I'd get from the sample will be much less than the hassle your people could face at the border, so let's not do that. But thank you!

[rudy de haas]

1) Windsor plywood can get anything if you are willing to pay their overheads for it; and,

2) I have been getting Jatoba (and some Maple) through some guys in Calgary (at refinedrusticfurniture.com ) who buy truckloads from two major distributors, pick what they and a few builders they work with want, and sell the rest on word of mouth and kijiji. This won't make sense for you, but I only want a few boards at a time and this has worked out much better for me than dealing directly with P.J. WHite hardwoods did for the hickory I got earlier.

[rudy de haas]

That's what I thought - but I can't find it in my hardwood handbook - so can you please point me at the listing you refer to?