Why Teak is used as the main material for indoor and outdoor furniture?

A product from the dry forests of Indonesia and Southeast Asia is the Teak wood. It is popular in terms of ship building and furniture crafting (both for indoor and outdoor use). It is the most durable and natural wood in the world. It is also a very popular wood for manufacturers for the tree itself has many unsual characteristics. Teak is rain and weather resistant, easy to work with but lasts for long. It can be finished well because it has properties that make it an easy-to-work-with wood, and this teak wood lends itself to furniture design. The resin in the teak wood has an oil that keeps the wood free from different bacteria and decay. Along with thick fiber content, the oily substance provides a great wood medium that is easy to cut and sculpt. With all of these unique features, together with the lovely colors that are naturally shown in the wood, you can create a furniture product for any type or any theme of the house.

The most noticeable characteristic of Teak Patio Furniture is its resistance to all kinds of weather. Because of this, it is also resistant to decay and easily repels insects. This is one of the reasons that, unlike other woods, it is often used as the main material for both indoor and outdoor furniture. Teak wood holds its form over many years, even if left outside, and because of this it has often been used for the decking of ships – with its special aroma, cruise ships in particular. Other characteristics of teak are its elasticity and solid fiber, both of which facilitate wood working.

As the days go by, teak is becoming rarer, harder to acquire and more expensive to own maybe because a large number of people mostly purchase teak rather than any materials. Regardless, in the face of fierce competition from other types of hard woods like cedar, fir, oak, mahogany and cherry, teak wood remains one of the more popular materials to be used – especially if we’re talking about outdoor furniture. Even as the supply of teak wood dwindles, there must be a reason why teak wood continues to be the preferred staple for outdoor furniture.

However, the high demand and frequent harvesting of teak has not come without complications. The attributes that make teak wood so desirable – natural oils for water resistance, strength and durability – increase as the tree ages. Thus, the oldest trees have always been the most desirable. Not surprisingly, these old-growth teak trees have become very rare and it is difficult to find old-growth items anywhere today. The trees in the plantations are harvested far too regularly to allow them to fully mature into old-growth trees, and these younger trees do not offer the same grade protections as the older variety. Wood from younger teak trees, while still oil laden and durable, is undeniably more prone to splitting and water damage. It is still a highly prized wood for outdoor construction and furniture, however, and offers better protections than most other woods.