Furniture Teak

 

Teak furniture and its maintenance

Introduction: Teak wood is a dense, grained hard wood. The wood is generally straight grained and has a coarse and rough exterior. The teak wood contains a higher percentage of silica which gives the wood more durability and resistance to various extreme climatic conditions. One of the most important characteristics of teak wood is its durability and high resistant character to rot caused by fungal decay along with a high level of resinous oil present in the timber which helps to act as a natural insect repellent providing the timber a

very high resistance to attack by the termites and bugs and also by the other wood boring insects. The teak timber when cut has a pleasant smell which resembles the smell of fresh leather. Teak furniture also changes its color with age. The new teak furniture varies in color from light to dark brown, and as it ages over time it turns light silver grey in color. One can notice the first grey streaks, after the teak furniture has been in the weather for about three to four months. This can also depend upon the various climatic conditions in your place. For example if the place where one lives has cold nights and hot sunny days then the teak furniture would turn grey faster, than if one lived in area where the temperature was more constant during both the day and night. In usual cases the natural teak wood will turn completely grey in about a year or so,

Maintenance of teak furniture: If one intends to preserve the beautiful shade of grey on their teak furniture, it is suggested that one washes the teak furniture at least once a year with a mild detergent and water. When one is watering his plants, he may also wash down his teak furniture to remove the dust and pollen that has accumulated occasionally. But caution is a must when the teak furniture is exposed to extreme conditions immediately. For example if the teak furniture is place from the cold outside, do not place it immediately inside the heated room of your home. This extreme diverse climatic change all of a sudden would cause the wood to split.

Due to the course of time, one may notice small cracks, developing in the teak furniture. This is because the teak wood has a naturally high content of wood oils, and hence it is not necessary to treat the teak furniture with any type of wood sprays, oils or preservative. However if one used the teak wood oil available in the market these days, it would create a pretty surface shine and glow. When one uses the teak wood oil make it sure that the teak furniture is clean and dry before treating it with oil. Care should be taken that not even a drop of water should be trapped under the coat of oil. If the teak furniture is left untreated it may develop stains from food or drinks.

After a long duration if the teak furniture requires cleaning, it can be undertaken with a normal tooth brush with bristles not too hard and with some warm soapy water. Later wash it off with clean water and pat the furniture dry. There are also various wood cleaners available in the market which can be used to clean off various accumulated dirt and stains. However steel brushes are not recommended to clean the teak furniture as the rough exterior of the brush may discolor the wood permanently. If the furniture has some stubborn hard stains, it can be removed by sanding it with a smooth sand paper. Later the teak furniture may be repolished with any high quality wood oil and the shine and brightness of the teak furniture can be maintained with all these precautionary care and measures.

Teak furniture is the costliest furniture: Teak wood was known to the Chinese long back ago and the Chinese had sailed a powerful fleet of ships made up of teak wood for navigation purposes. They soaked the teak wood by burying it for several years in moist soil, before it was used for building ships. This wood could withstand the damage from the sun as well from the water. Teak wood is also resistant to insect infestation, shrinking, warping and splintering, and hence this is the reason that the boats and shipbuilders used teak wood till today. The efficiency of the wood is so popularly known that after the World War II, many British ships were intensely destroyed and salvaged and their teak wood decks were remanufactured into outdoor furniture and as flooring for many homes as well as indoor furniture.

 

Teak wood contains natural silica, which a mixture of sand and natural oils that make the wood very dense for useful purposes. The silica present in it prevents the insects and mites from infesting the wood. Also because of its natural high oil content the teak wood does not corrode any metal that comes in contact with it especially in the manufacture of teak furniture. This is the reason why most of the households in the world has opted for furniture made up of teak wood. The durability and the beauty of the wood have made the teak furniture an expensive one to purchase. The teak tree which grows to a rapid one hundred fifty feet tall, will not mature for approximately fifty years.

 

In order to the overwhelming demand for the teak furniture, several nations have initiated the plans in increasing the rotation time from fifty years to thirty or forty years. This is maintained to increase the superiority of the furniture and the product manufactured. However there are countries that have decided to experiment in rotating their teak plantation only after twenty five years. This has resulted in the production of smaller diameter wood logs with lighter coloration and an inferior quality wood. However due to its immature quality it possess lesser resistance to warping and splintering in varied climatic conditions