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Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
What level of restistance has got the surface in Sikalindi?
Can I use the tables normally or they are delicate objects?
Our tables are surely fine tables but you can use them normally as dining or office tables without any fear.
We made some laboratory tests and discovered that the mechanical resistance of the Sikalindi Panels is comparable to that of a plywood covered in another hard wood such as oak or beech. This is due to the combination of the dense reticular structure of the fiber and special resins that make it very hard and fix it on the support panel.
In other words you can use our tables in the same way you would use another table made in wood.
What happens if some water or wine goes over the table?
Nothing will happen. Because the fiber is treated with resins and it is water-resistant. Our tables don’t need more attention than another table in wood. If some water or wine goes over, you can clean easily with a cloth or some absorbent paper.
The surface of the Sikalindi is characterized by many open pores. How can I clean?
The daily cleaning can be done with a micro-fiber cleaning cloth, commonly in trade. Once in a while it could be necessary to remove the dust accumulated into the pores, and that can be done with a clothes brush or if available a paintbrush.
Sikalindi is a new product, but did you test it enough?
What about its durability over time?
Sikalindi is a new product but it isn’t an experimental one. The real innovation is in the technique of extraction of the fiber that enable us to obtain an healthy and solid material from the Prickly Pear Cactus.
Once obtained the fiber, the rest of the process is very similar to that of the classical veneering ( but more complex), and the products that we use are specific products for wood, widely tested.
So furniture and complements of the Sikalindi Collection are destined to have a long life as you would expect from furniture made in wood.
Is it possible to realize custom-made furniture or interior design project by utilizing your material sikalindi?
Yes, surely it is. We cannot realize all the custom-made furniture for our clients because it would be extremely complex and maybe too expensive, but just to satisfy this kind of requests we propose the semi-worked Panels of Sikalindi, that can be easily worked by skilled carpenters for making any kind of design project.
For all information please visit the section “Panels” of the website.
Why is it necessary to extract the fiber from the green cladodes?
Wouldn’t it be easier to let the cladodes to be dried by the sun?
The fiber that is inside the cladodes of the Prickly Pear Cactus is composed by a sort woody filament very thin, and it is immersed into an aqueous material. When the Prickly Pear Cactus dies this aqueous material decomposes, and for consequence it makes also the woody fiber to decompose, so it is lost.
This is why we need to extract the fiber when it is green, before this process of decomposition begins.
How many Prickly Pear plants do you need to prune to realize a table?
Actually very few ones. Because inside the cladodes there is plenty of fiber. The difficult part of our work is not that of finding the Prickly Pear plants, but rather that of extracting the fiber, make the manufacturing mostly by hand, make the covering of the panels and make an accurate sanding so that it becomes so soft to the touch.
Why the name “Sikalindi”?
Sikalindi means “Prickly Pear Cactus” in Griko language, that is a minority dialect, still spoken in some little towns of Salento, known as “Grecia Salentina”, and that dates back to the Magna Grecia times.
We utilized the Griko also for the names of our tables, Siko (that means prickly pear fruit), Zonto ( prickly pear fruit that comes off-season), and Milo ( that means “to talk with other people”).
In italian the Prickly Pear Cactus is called Fico d’India (“Fruit from India”). Does the plant come from India?
No. The Prickly Pear Cactus is a plant native of Mexico. In Italy we call it “Fico d’India” (“Fruit from India”) because it was carried in Italy after the discovery of America from Cristoforo Colombo, who, just arrived in America, was convinced of having reached the “Indie”(that he was searching).
Since then the plant well settled in all the countries of the Mediterranean area, and particularly in all the regions of South Italy , thanks to the warm climate typical of them. It is a spontaneous plant, but it is also cultivated and produce some sweet and juicy fruits.
In the several countries the plant is called with several names, in France Figue du Barbarie , in Spain Higo Chumbo, in Portugal Pera espinhosa, in England and America Prickly Pear Cactus, and in Mexico, its homeland, is called Nopal.
What is the Sikalindi Contest?
Are you planning to make another edition?
It is a national photographic contest that we organized during summer 2011, for promoting the launch on the market of the Sikalindi Collection. The theme of the contest was “The Fico d’India in the Mediterraneam Landscape”. In future we will organize another Contest, but it will be probably a design Contest or a Video Contest… this is a work in progress. If you wish to suggest the theme for the next Contest you can e-mail us at
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. We will listen to you!
If you have some other curiosities, please write us, and we will be happy to answer.
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