About Teak Patio Furniture
The Beauty of Teak Patio Furniture
Lets make one thing clear. NO other wood compares to Teak when it comes to elegance, durability and low maintenance. You might have seen furniture made of a variety of different wood sorts described as “Family of Teak, Teak-like, as good as teak or even better than teak”. Let’s nail it: IT JUST DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN TEAK.
Teak has been the mainstay of shipbuilding due to it’s capability to survive in any climate for centuries, but also for the softness almost silk-like feel that makes contact with Teak a joy, whether the Teak is newly installed or 150 years old.
Teak originates in south-east Asia. Indonesia is especially well-known for its supply of Teak. The Teak tree (Tectona Grandis) is a very slow growing tree which takes 45-50 years of growth to “mature”. The tree will attain a height of up to 150ft. with a diameter of 4-5ft. and a leaf comparable to a tobacco leaf with sizes over 1 sq. ft.
Teak Myths Busted
“Down one tree, plant two”
Some people believe that Teak is taken from rain forests and therefore environmental damaging, but the fact is that Teak trees can not grow in tropical rain forests, and are mostly found in dry, hilly dessert-like terrains like on the Island of Java, Indonesia. Especially Indonesia has been very successful in managing Teak forestry. All the way back in the 1800’s, the Dutch started farming Teak in large plantations, and when the Indonesian government took over they introduced the system “one tree down, two trees planted”. This has resulted in Indonesia today being the biggest supplier of “A-Grade” Teak timber, which is controlled and managed by the government operated agency, Perum Perhutani.
Perum Perhutani operates under very strict rules in regards to providing only mature Teak, and also how many trees can be felled and how many replanted in order to maintain the Teak industry for future generations. The Teak furniture and timber industry is by far the dominant industry on the Island of Java, and provides employment to hundreds of thousands of people.
Mature Teak, or “A-Grade” Teak, is timber from trees that have grown for at least 45 years. In order for Teak to obtain a very high concentration of oil, the tree has to grow for at least 45 years before harvested. In that period of time, the oil will spread to all parts of the wood, bonding the wood, making sure that nothing penetrates into the wood. Oil content is why Teak is mostly quoted for it’s durability. However, Teak is also extremely dense (40 lbs per cubic foot when dry) which, combined with oil, makes it very resistant to rot caused by fungal decay but also acts as a natural insect repellent giving the Teak very high resistance towards termites and other insects.
Manufacturing Quality
The quality of Royal Teak’s manufacturing process is second to none. All joints are made with mortise and tenon engineering. All hardware is either brass or stainless steel. The dining table inserts are a work of art.
Care & Maintenance
If left in the sun, the Teak will turn to a graceful silver appearance which looks stunning. However, you can at any time bring it back to natural by using a Teak-cleanser or by power washing it. If you choose to power wash, use less than 2000 psi.
Further, you also have the option of “white-washing” it. Once it has turned to the silver appearance, simply mix a bucket of bleach and water 50/50 and spray it on the furniture. After 30 minutes, just hose it off and you will have a sparkling silver/white-washed look.
If you don’t care for the aged look, you can opt to seal the Teak. However, this requires periodic application approximately every two years, if using Royal Teak Collections specially developed Teak Sealer. This will give Teak the look best known on boat decks and railings. Sealer can be wiped on with a cloth, brushed on, or even sprayed on and left to dry without wiping.
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