Teak Wood Is Very Beautiful and Strong,Perfect For The Outdoors
by Patricia Woods
Teak is a brand of tropical hardwoods with a scientific tag of Tectona. Teak is a hardwood native to South and Southeast Asia and is typically part of a monsoon jungle, growing on low hills, far away from the shore line. Teak is a deciduous tree, dropping its leaves in the rainless season and is not included in a tropical rain forest. It is a enormous tree, and does easily grow 30 to 40 meters big. Teak has a large concentration of oils and minerals, causing the wood to be waxy and rubbery. This makes a wood that will be water resistant and insect resistant, as well as a dense, direct grain to refuse being untrue. Teak is often honey to mocha brown, although it can possess a reddish hue. If it remains untreated and unprotected to the elements, it can change to a silvery gray, although an annually oil application can keep it's natural color. Teak is native to Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, The Philippines and India.
Teak has been utilized for a minimum of two thousand years and is noted in poetry from that era. Teak logs survive as the main structural component in buildings centuries old in India, and even in centuries old temples. This reflects the amazing ability of Teak to endure when stressed is placed on it. Teak was a major 18th Century export for China, where flooring, cabinets, paneling and multiple other wood elements were exported to Europe. Teak was also used for art objects, though the strong wood made this a difficult process, requiring much resharpening of tools. Later in the Victorian Era, this was hugely overcome and Teak art creations became more common.
The strength and salt water repellent characteristics made Teak an asset to the Royal Navy, and following World War I, when many battered warships were being scrapped, the crew members were in awe by the great condition of the Teak decking and determined to save the wood. A lot of it became garden furniture, making the tradition of teak patio furniture. The Royal Navy was not the only user of Teak; the unique qualities of this wood made it popular around the world among ship manufacturers in the age of sailing. The momentous whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan, stored in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut that was constructed in 1841 and saw hard miles with several around the world journeys but still appears like new.
The continuous increasing ease of Teak manufacturing led to Teak becoming a huge component of the Danish contemporary style of furniture, very approved in the 50s and 60s. This furniture is today enduring a renaissance in popularity and original Teak furniture from this period is very approved with collectors and others.
It is also heavily manufactured in Indonesia, there Dutch traders created tree farms in 1816. Perum Perhutani, an organization of the Indonesian Government, operates the tree farms now. They strictly control trees taken and new plantings to only keep very high quality wood. Experiments have shown that Indonesia Teak can grow twenty meters in fifteen years. Today Indonesia and Burma, officially known as Myanmar, have become the world's largest exporters of Teak.
Patricia Woods is a interior design specialist with a passion for teak furniture. For more information on Patricia and her line of teak aluminum furniture, click here. This and other unique content 'teak chair' articles are available with free reprint rights.
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