Teak Outdoor Furniture   by Liana Corrado

in Home    (submitted 2012-02-16)

Tectona grandis, more commonly known as teak, is one of the most popular materials in modern outdoor furniture design. Teak is resistant to almost all harsh elements, including extreme heat and cold, precipitation, and even termites. Along with being impervious to almost every type of weather, teak is a stunning wood that most people find appealing. Teak's deep, amber color only improves as it ages.

Teak has been used for outdoor furniture for well over a century, though it has become trendy again in the past few years. Especially in European nations, you will commonly see century-old park benches and other permanent outdoor structures made from teak. Also, although other woods were easier to find, ship builders preferred to build boats out of teak. Teak, however, never rotted, even after it was adhered to metal.

Today's outdoor furniture utilizes teak's resilience to its full potential. In the same fashion as shipbuilders of old, today's furniture designers often use combinations of teak and metal in outdoor furniture. Outdoor furniture styles featuring teak with either steel, aluminum, or wrought iron are consistently growing in popularity. Typically designed with clean lines and sharp edges, teak and metal furniture often has an ultra-modern feel. If you are searching for a more traditional furniture style, though, you should easily be able to find a teak set tailored to your needs.

You should keep in mind that not all teak furniture is of the same quality. It is required that teak wood be dried in a kiln before furniture assembly takes place, but some discount manufacturers hasten this step and use the wood before it has been correctly dried. Warping and cracking of the wood after just a few years are common problems in these inexpensive pieces, even if you do not notice any issues immediately.

It will behoove you to do in-depth research and buy your new teak furnishings from an established manufacturer in lieu of a discount company. You want to make sure that you are purchasing the highest quality of teak furniture available to you. Teak furniture of the highest grade is not inexpensive, but will quickly make-up for its cost as it will be used by your family and friends for decades.

Though teak does not necessitate much upkeep, there are a few things you can do to keep your pool furniture in top-notch condition. It is important, for example, to scrub your teak furniture periodically to eliminate any dirt that may have settled into the wood-grain. You may also want to re-oil your furniture occasionally if you don't want it to take on a silvery hue. If you have neglected to re-oil your teak furniture for several years, there are a number of teak restorers that you can buy in order to revive your furniture's original hue. There are outdoor furniture sets available.

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