Top 7 Best Natural Outdoor Wood Flooring Options for Vietnam’s Climate

Thermo Ash Wood is a type of thermally modified natural wood, including species like pine and oak, treated to withstand outdoor environments.

Thermo Ash has straight, even grain patterns with a pale, almost white color and a heartwood that can vary in shades. Its surface is moisture-resistant, scratch-proof, and protects the wood core from environmental damage, making it ideal for both interior and exterior designs.

This type of wood is strong, with excellent nail and screw holding properties, and resists deformation when dried. It can be easily bent with steam, which is why it's commonly used for outdoor decking due to its sturdiness, resistance to termites, and minimal warping.

Thermo Ash offers a sustainable alternative to other popular Asian outdoor woods, like Teak and Chò Chỉ, which grow slowly and are increasingly rare. Overusing these species can harm the environment and society. Therefore, choosing Thermo Ash helps reduce negative environmental impacts.

Pine wood offers good quality at an affordable price, with attractive grain and color. It is soft, making it easy to process and create various beautiful designs.

The natural resin in pine helps prevent insect damage and provides resistance to pests after harvesting, giving it a long lifespan, often reaching up to 20 years. Pine wood is also lightweight, making it easy to transport during construction. It has good machinability and excellent nail and glue adhesion, simplifying installation and design.

This is a brand of modified wood produced by the Accsys Group, with a manufacturing facility in the Netherlands. Accoya Wood is sourced from FSC-certified plantation timber. The production technology behind Accoya is considered the best in wood modification today, using a process called Acetylation, which alters the chemical structure of the wood. After modification, the wood becomes much harder, resistant to termites, and stable in size, without shrinking or expanding.

Accoya Wood is often referred to as “diamond wood” due to its incredible durability, matching the longevity of Teak wood from Myanmar. It can last 50 years outdoors and 25 years when buried underground.

Accoya Wood has an ivory-white color and a vinegar-like odor. Currently, its price is comparable to Teak from Myanmar. It is used in various commercial and residential applications, including windows, door frames, exterior cladding, and large-scale projects and flooring.

Chò Chỉ Wood Flooring, with its remarkable features, is gradually establishing its reputation in the Vietnamese market.

Chò Chỉ wood is sourced from the central northern region of Vietnam and parts of China. It comes from large trees (Group III), typically growing up to 45-50 meters tall, with a diameter of 0.8-0.9 meters and a smooth trunk. The bark is gray, with slight vertical cracks.

The inner bark is yellow with a slight pink hue, and the wood has a mild fragrance. The branches are usually twisted. The leaves are lance-shaped or oval with star-shaped hairs along the veins. Chò Chỉ wood is light yellow or slightly pink, very durable, water-resistant, and able to withstand burial. It is commonly used for pillars, interior decoration, and flooring. Therefore, flooring made from Chò Chỉ wood has a unique beauty and relatively high durability compared to other natural woods.

Chò Chỉ Wood Flooring not only provides a cool and comfortable atmosphere for your home, but it also has excellent sound insulation properties. Additionally, the wood's intricate patterns and colors bring a sense of closeness to nature.

Myanmar Teak (Teak from Myanmar) is considered the highest quality among all types of teak wood. This variety is harvested from ancient virgin forests that are hundreds of years old (in contrast to most other teak, which is sourced from FSC-certified plantations aged 20-40 years). Due to its age, the grain in Myanmar Teak has fully matured; the wood is heavier, harder, and more stable than other types.

Myanmar Teak has a deeper golden hue compared to other teak varieties, and its natural oils seep out during use. When exposed to sunlight, the wood takes on a shiny golden color, while it becomes a greyish yellow in the rain. Additionally, fine black veins run through the wood, formed by the tree's absorption of minerals from the soil of Myanmar, which adds to its unique appearance. These distinctive features are what set Myanmar Teak apart and contribute to its higher value. However, due to its rarity, Myanmar Teak is also much more expensive.

Investing in Myanmar Teak is a significant cost, making it ideal for luxury villas, penthouses, or truly exclusive projects that demand the highest quality.

Lao Teak Flooring is harvested from natural Lao forests, making it a rare and valuable wood, classified as Group I. The wood has a dark yellow-brown hue with fine texture, offering exceptional stability, resistance to warping, cracking, and termite damage. It is water-resistant and has a medium weight, making it highly desirable for premium interior projects.

In terms of durability and stability, Lao Teak ranks second only to Myanmar Teak, and its cost is more affordable and reasonable. To ensure the wood’s longevity for outdoor use (over 10 years), it is recommended to select trees that are at least 30 years old. Older trees produce denser, more stable wood, which minimizes the risk of warping and shrinking when exposed to the elements.

Lao Teak has a lighter yellow color compared to Myanmar Teak, yet still darker than South African Teak. Selecting trees over 30 years old will result in wider planks with fewer knots, enhancing the core ratio and minimizing the amount of sapwood. The sapwood layer on each plank should not exceed 5mm, as it is more vulnerable to termite infestations.

Ironwood Trees belong to the Dipterocarpaceae family, which contains around 104 species. These trees are highly valued for their wood due to their unique properties and the long growth period required for maturation.

Ironwood trees are tall, straight, and slender, with bark that splits along the grain. Some trees can reach up to 50 meters in height and have a diameter of 80-100 cm, while ancient trees may have diameters exceeding 3 meters. These trees can be found across regions from Sri Lanka and southern India to southern China, and all the way to New Guinea. In Vietnam, Ironwood is primarily found in the Mekong Delta and mountainous regions like Thái Nguyên, with the largest populations in Kon Tum and Gia Lai. Among the various types of Ironwood, Black Ironwood is the most sought after in the furniture industry.

Black Ironwood is known for its strength and resistance to termites, with natural oils in the wood that protect it from the elements. Despite being a hardwood, it has a tendency to develop small cracks along the grain when exposed to moisture and sunlight over time. However, these cracks do not compromise the wood's durability.

Currently, the most consistent and high-quality Black Ironwood is sourced from South America. Its durability rivals that of Lao Teak, yet it is somewhat more affordable.