WHY TEAK IS SUCH A GREAT PRODUCT FOR FURNITURE
Teak is a popular wood with furniture makers and buyers across the world. Once heavily used, the deforestation of teak is now strictly controlled to ensure a continued and rejuvenated supply of wood. What is it that makes teak so desirable?
Teak is hardwood. It is strong and durable, able to withstand extremes of heat and cold. Whilst this makes it excellent wood for outdoor furniture, it also means that it can provide a lifetime and more of use indoors. It’s durability means that it is unlikely to suffer from rotting or many other afflictions that can attack other woods. Using the right type of teak – good quality wood with high quantities of oil and rubber – can result in beautiful pieces of furniture that can take whatever your home and throw at them.
The color and grain of teak wood makes it one of the most attractive to furniture makers and homeowners. Whilst outdoor teak furniture can be left to the elements and become an elegant silver-gray color, teak used for indoor purposes is often oiled to retain its warm golden color. Its strength is a real plus-point for furniture designers, who can produce a range of pieces that may not be viable using other, softer woods, which often means that you have a wider range of choice in teak furniture than in many other woods.
The natural benefits of teak; strength, durability, warm color, resistance to termites or other damaging elements, make it an extremely adaptable wood. Its water-resistant properties and tendency not to splinter easily made it a favorite for shipbuilders for hundreds of years and it has since been used for a wide range of both indoor and outdoor furniture. From large dining room tables to elegant cabinets and patio furniture, teak has the flexibility that many furniture makers are looking for today.
Some teak is "plantation grown," which—while an improvement over clear-cutting natural forests—is a long way from being sustainable. That's because most plantations comprise no other tree species, just row upon row of teak trees. These monocultures do little to provide needed animal habitat. And because the trees were planted at the same time, they are harvested at the same time—clear-cutting under a different name. Reforest Teak wood is grown using an entirely new, sustainable approach to forest management. Grown in Costa Rica under the approval of the world's most ecologically advanced government, Reforest Teak is actually reforesting, rather than deforesting, the land. This is land that was cleared decades ago to make pasture for cattle, to feed America's demand for inexpensive hamburgers. Stripped of trees, the land became unable to retain water in the dry season, and unable to stop soil erosion during the rainy season. All that is changing now that the land is forested once again.
A Reforest Teak forest is not a monoculture, but a mosaic of different tree species that provide plenty of animal habitat. Trees are carefully thinned so they grow straight (resulting in a better-quality wood) and are harvested in succession—the whole forest is never cut at once. That's good for the environment, and it also means steady, sustainable work for the local craftsmen for decades to come.
Now that you know what a great material Teak is, you can check out the remarkable furniture made of Teak from Recreation Outfitters which includes Dining Sets, Bar Sets, Chairs and Chaise Lounges.
