Teak Outdoor Furniture
Of the many types of outdoor furniture available today, teak
outdoor
furniture may be the gold standard. Nothing resists better than natural
teak. Not only is teak outdoor furniture beautiful, but it also is the
most robust outdoor furniture you can buy.
Whether you are shopping
for teak patio furniture, teak garden furniture, teak benches or teak
tables, any kind of outdoor furniture, you'll be able to count on a
product that can stand up to outdoor conditions. Consider this: Teak is
the wood most commonly used for the decks of ships and yachts. Teak is
virtually the only wood that will not rot, no matter what the weather
conditions. Stories are told of teak furniture left outdoors for almost
a century without rotting.
One of the reasons that teak is so
weather-resistant is that it has a natural rubber content and a high oil
content - sort of a built-in natural water repellant. Even better,
exposure to the sun actually activates the natural oils.
Teak is a
solid wood. Because of its natural protection system, manufacturers do
not stain or color-treat teak. It naturally occurs in a range of colors,
from almost a golden yellow to a deep brown, with streaks of lighter and
darker colors. Over time, teak furniture naturally weathers to a soft
gray color.
Teak is an extremely hard wood; it has little porosity,
which makes it dense, and weather resistant. Its weight and density make
it time-consuming to fabricate into furniture, which also increases its
expense. Good outdoor furniture made from teak is a investment in the
future.
If you cannot afford to buy all your patio and garden
furniture made out of teak, you should consider buying the heaviest
pieces and the largest pieces of outdoor furniture that you would prefer
to be able to leave outdoors. Teak tables and teak benches are two good
examples. If necessary, you can buy outdoor chairs and occasional tables
made out of other materials, such as resin, powder coated aluminum or
wrought iron, since those are easier to take indoors to store out of
season and protect against the weather.
Decorative planter boxes made out of teak are also another patio and
garden accessory that can be extremely heavy, particularly when filled
with soil and plantings. If you want to be able to leave your planter
boxes outside year-round, teak is an excellent material to consider.
It's always best to put the plants in another container rather than
directly into the teak boxes so that they can be removed more easily as
necessary. Trellises, garden gates, pergolas and other installations are
also areas where you may wish to consider using teak, so that you will
have little worry about seasonal maintenance.
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