Teak
furniture is
highly prized because it is considered to be a very beautiful and
durable tropical hardwood. It is a strong, tightly knit wood with few
knots and it does not warp very easily. The fact that it is behaves
better in high humidity then most woods accounts for why it is used to
make high quality furniture in so many tropical countries on both sides
of the ocean.
Teak furniture also holds up well in water (even salt water!) and it also
withstands cold temperatures well. The fact that it was so hard, dense
and versatile which once made it very popular with British and Nordic
shipbuilders. It is still the most prized wood when it comes to
building yachts and their fixtures today.
Another great quality that teak furniture has that is not shared by many other
woods that are used to construct furniture is that it is termite proof.
This resistance to being eaten by bugs makes it a good investment.
Another nice thing about teak is that it looks unique. The grain of the
wood is never even giving it a fluid wavy appearance. The curvaceous
appearance of the grain is very flattering on furniture that is also
carved or molded to look curvy. The wood grain of teak also ages in a
very graceful way that makes it look more valuable as time passes.
Teak does not require any special treatment to take care of it. However
if you leave the furniture out doors for too long without rubbing it
with oil it will eventually turn grey. If you want your teak outdoor
furniture
to maintain its rich red or golden honey color then you should apply
teak oil (available online and in hardware stores) every couple of
months. However if your teak
furniture does turn grey as the result of
exposure to the element you can usually remove this silver coating with
a soft brush and soap and water.
One caveat before you oil you teak furniture – make sure that
it
is completely dry before you apply any kind of treatment. If you apply
oil while the furniture is wet then any moisture trapped between the
teak wood and the oil will cause black mildew spots to mar it. Usually
it takes two full days for teak furniture to dry after it has been
rinsed with a hose or rained on so make sure you wait at least this
long before you apply any teak oil. You should also make sure that the
teak item is free of dirt or dust before you oil it as well.
Always remember to use teak oil and not any other type of oil to clean
your teak furniture or you may ruin it. If you can’t find
teak
oil in your usual shopping outlets then try boat shops where it is
commonly used to polish up the wood fixtures on luxury vessels.
