Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of Alowood?
Alowood is a unique, environmentally friendly, high quality and cost effective solution: Alowood is a unique "green tech" product; combining nature and technology in an environmentally friendly way. The color and grain combinations offer a distinctive and exotic look. Alowood is derived from sustainable, faster growing lumber and is hardened using an organic, toxin-free process. It is GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified and available as FSC certified. Alowood is a high quality hard wood; confirmed through research with the US Forest Products Laboratory and studies and feedback from experts in the woodworking community. Alowood is a cost effective solution. It is competitively priced with tropical hardwood species, offers higher yields and can help to reduce costly manufacturing steps.
What colors are Alowood available in?
Alowood is currently available in 9 different colors, which work great by themselves or combined in a project.
Is it colored all the way through?
Yes. The pressure impregnation process used to produce Alowood ensures that all of the enhancements we make are consistent throughout the width and thickness of the lumber.
Are you able to get a consistent color with each treatment?
Unlike natural hardwoods, where the color can vary dramatically from tree to tree, Alowood offers a more consistent color. The Alowood you order today will be the same color as the Alowood you order next month.
Does the color fade?
Virtually all color fades over time, particularly when exposed to sunlight. Alowood color fades evenly and naturally, often imperceptible with the naked eye. Because Alowood is colored throughout, it can be sanded down to bring back the original color.
Why is Alowood considered environmentally responsible?
Alowood is environmentally responsible from beginning to end. It comes from sustainable, fast grown plantation lumber crops; which reach maturity in 25-30 years versus over 100 years for many hardwood species. The process to manufacture Alowood is organic, coming from farm-grown ingredients. Alowood is free of toxins and formaldehyde. Alowood is the only hard wood product certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI); confirming Alowood's compliance with GEI's stringent indoor air quality guidelines. Alowood is available as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified product to recognize that the underlying wood is harvested sustainably.
What "Green Credentials" does Alowood have?
Because we use only sustainable timber, Alowood products are available as fully certified sustainable materials by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Alowood also carries the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified Mark, which means that Alowood has been tested using stringent environmental chamber methods and meets GREENGUARD standards. The use of GREENGUARD Certified Products attacks indoor air pollution at the source and can significantly reduce the levels of pollutants in the indoor air.
Is Alowood dimensionally stable?
Yes, a study with the US Forest Products lab indicates that Alowood is significantly more dimensionally stable than one of the most popular hardwoods for flooring, Red Oak.

Stability Data

stability
What species do you use?
One of the benefits of Alowood is that we can use our hardening process with multiple wood species. Currently Alowood is offered in the species we’ve had the most success with - pine.
What can I use Alowood for?
Alowood can be used for virtually any of your interior hardwood projects - such as flooring, furniture, cabinetry, furnishings, decor and millwork.
How does Alowood compare to other hardwoods?
Randy Stribling, a woodworking instructor compared Alowood to different hardwood species. Randy experienced positive results with machineability, dimensional stability, color and finishing. On average, the attributes tested were the same or better than natural hardwoods.
Will working with Alowood harm my health?
No toxins or formaldehyde are used in the production of Alowood. As with any wood product, caution should be used around the dust particles.
Can Alowood be used outdoors?
Currently Alowood is recommended for interior use only; it is not designed to withstand exterior weather conditions. Research and development is underway on an exterior Alowood solution.