Furniture Teak

Teak Furniture Introduction:

Teak, which is also called as jati belong to the family verbenaceae, and is native to the south and southeast of Asia. It is most commonly found in the monsoon forest vegetation. They are very large trees, which grow to a height of thirty to forty meters tall. However the word teak has been originated from the Tamil work Tekku, which has its reference in the ancient Tamil literature. There are three species of the teak tree. Their habitat and characteristics are mentioned hereby below:

Common Teak: The botanical name of common teak is Tectona grandis, which is one of the best varieties always choiced by the furniture lovers, and is most extensively used in making various kinds of teak furniture. It is widely distributed in India and china.

Dahat Teak: Having the botanical name as Tectona hamiltoniana, dahat teak is one of the endangered variety of teak trees. Its habitat is confined only to Myanmar, which is commonly called as Burma.

Philippine teak: As the name suggests Phillippine teak is almost endemic to Philippines only, and this class also belongs to the endangered variety. Its botanical name is Tectona Philippinensis.

Cultivation and advantages: The timber of the teak plant is used in the manufacture of various kinds of outdoor and indoor furniture, boats, boat decks and many other articles. In India it is also used for indoor flooring and roofing in various temples and ancient households. Teak has now found a prominent place in the architectural design of many palatial homes and buildings. The teak plant is also possessed with many natural oils and is suitably used in various exposed locations in combinations with oil and varnish. Teak wood cut from old tress grown in dense and natural forests is more durable and harder in making various furniture.

The furniture made up of the old teak trees are hence costlier, than the furniture manufactured from the young teak trees grown in plantations, which is more prone to splitting and water damage. In India teak is used extensively in making doors and window frames, furniture and columns and beams in old type palatial houses. Its usage is popular in making furniture as the wood is very resistant to the attack of termites. The mature teak wood tree holds a very good price, The age of the teak tree can be determined from the annular rings formed each year inside the trunk of the tree. In India teak is grown extensively by the forest departments of different states in the forest areas.

It is also grown as a forest plantation in various estates across the country. Due to its high natural oil content, the wood is preserved from all natural complications. The teak furniture has a very smooth touch and does not have a rough surface. The teak furniture looks like a warm wood, though the wood itself does not get hot when exposed to sunlight. They also have a faint, pleasant, aromatic smell. The look of the long lasting teak furniture has a very elegant and appealing presence. The teak furniture has also a reputation for being very expensive wood material. When one wants to shop for teak furniture, it is better to analyze and compare the workmanship and price of the choice set.

Durability of Teak furniture: Teak furniture is the only furniture that lasts for comparatively a longer duration than other wood furniture. This is because teak has a high oil content, and is closed grained hardwood. These two properties relatively create a long wearing wood. It is also resistant to rotting and one can leave the teak timber in sun or soak it rain or water for a long time. At times some of the teak furniture has some oval stripe markings on them. These will disappear once the teak wood spends some time in the sunlight. These stripes are usually seen after the kilning process, which is used to remove the moisture from the wood. This process is undertaken before they actually start creating the furniture. Hence by undergoing this process the teak wood can adjust to the various climatic changes. But at times cracks appear on the teak furniture. However these cracks are normal. As the wood expands and shrinks depending on the weather and climate, it will however not affect the durability of the teak furniture. The teak furniture can withstand most of the varied climatic changes and hence can be left outside all the year, especially in the carpentry shop where they are produced. As the teak wood is rough and tough, it can withstand the rigors and extremity of the outdoor temperature.

Teak furniture use and care: However the maintenance of teak furniture is not a hard task. As cold weather approaches, many of the households face the risk as what to do with their non teak furniture?s. Many of them opt for weather proofing, while others rearrange their houses or garages, to make room for the safety of their furniture. But the households which own the teak furniture don?t spend their time over this problem as teak furniture is used all year around. Of course they enjoy their morning tea or coffee or enjoy a heavy dinner and a beautiful supper while sitting on their teak wood furniture itself.

For many years, woven furniture was the favorite choice for gardens and terraces and later during the nineteenth century, the teak furniture began gaining popularity. The main reason for this is its excellent beauty and durability. Teak tree usually grows in Burma and Indonesia, where the weather is hot, humid and wet. Teakwood is supposed to be the hardest wood ever known which is resistant to wind damage, pests, sun damage, humidity and water resistant. Teak is so durable that it does not splinter. This was the reason why the British Navy constructed their warships, made up of teak wood during the 1700s and 1800s. It is hence also used since centuries in shipbuilding, furniture manufacturing and in the construction of homes.