Teak is a tropical hardwood tree from India and Southeast Asia. It grows fairly straight, and can reach about 130 feet in height. Teak wood is known for having a high oil content, which protects the wood from both, water damage and insects such as termites. Because of the properties of a superior quality teak, this wood has always been prized for construction, such as housing, boats, and furniture. Due to the density and the protective oils of teak wood, furniture items can last for a lifetime.
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ABOUT TEAK
WHAT IS TEAK ?
GRADE A QUALITY TEAK
There are 3 grades of teak wood: A, B, and C. They represent mature heartwood, immature heartwood, and sapwood. Mature heartwood is the highest quality of wood, while sapwood is the lowest.
Grade A teak refers to the mature heartwood of a teak tree. In order to harvest mature heartwood, a teak tree needs to be about 20 years old or more. Grade A teak is the timber that comes from the very center of the trunk, where the wood is rich with natural oil and were resins are concentrated.
The wood should feel slightly oily when you touch it. And it should have a warm golden color same as honey when new. The wood grains should be very close together as this is the densest part of the tree.
Grade A teak is what you want your furniture made from. When a teak tree is harvested, less than a quarter of the available wood will be Grade A. So this makes Grade A teak relatively expensive. Grade B or grade C teak are not very good for garden furniture, it simply will not last as long, is likely to be eaten by bugs and infestations and to discolour quickly. Even from the outset, the cheaper grades of teak will simply not look or feel anything like grade A teak and will quickly crack and appear worn exposed to a wet weather.
How to maintain teak ?
Real Grade A teak furniture will last a lifetime without needing any special treatments. But you should still clean it yearly, and if you want to keep the color more fresh, apply a sealer or protector after cleaning.
Beware fake quality
Some woods are also being passed off as teak. These teak-like woods can be for exemple Shorea, Eucalyptus, Cedar and Jarrah. To an experienced eye the differences are huge. The quality and texture of the wood is greatly reduced and flaws and knots are common place. These woods will not survive for long in harsh and wet weather conditions.
Some garden furniture suppliers are passing off gade C teak as grade A. By chemically treating the cheap teak they are attempting to give it a consistent colour.
Apart from using teak-like woods or chemically treating lower grade teak woods, other shortcuts are still available for passing off low grade teak as grade A teak. Grade A teak is considerably more expensive than the other grades and few companies are trying to make a quick profit before disappearing. Be suspicious if the price seems to good to be true.
WITHEWASHED TEAK
What is Withewashed teak ?
Left to weather, the timber of teak will naturally turn a silvery grey, and cleaning and re-oiling it will bring it back to original state. Withewashed is a process used to achieve this effect of a stunning vintage look.
Benefits
More than an original and natural look, with a smokey white colour and matt finish, our process offers a liquid, mould and UV protection, to provide resistance giving the timber itself protection against water and spills, and to maintain the look in a sunny environment for longer. As well, it will not not flake neither crack.