Teak is a dense, heavy wood full of natural oil. These properties make it very durable, but we also use high grade teak to ensure good quality products.
Generally speaking, the older the tree the better the quality of wood. Trees 60+ year old provide us with top grade teak.
Government controlled plantations in central and northern Java employ teams to supervise the cutting and replanting of the teak crop and strict regulation is applied to our suppliers regarding access to good teak.
Logs are carefully marked with the buyers identity and left in the sun to start the drying process.
Once delivered to the manufacturers planks are sawn and patterns used to obtain the wood pieces needed. Any knots or areas of sap wood are avoided – this wood is used for other products.
Larger pieces of wood and completed pieces of furniture are kiln dried to reach a moisture content suitable for the UK. This ensures a better appearance and maximum durability.
All finished products are polished to give a smooth surface which is good to look at and to touch.
What's Grade A Teak?
Teak furniture is a huge investment so it's important that you get the best possible furniture for your money. With this in mind we have put together this handy guide to buying teak furniture.
When looking at a teak product the first thing you need to be aware of is the different types of teak available.
Once you have decided upon the grade of wood that you are looking for in the furniture it's time to look at the the moisture content of the wood.
Important
The drying process for the teak is incredably crucial. Even Grade A teak if not dried correctly will warp and break, leaving you with an expensive unusable piece of furniture. All teak should be dried properly and Grade A teak should be dried to a minimum of 12% moisture content (with 8% being ideal).
Weathering & care of furniture
The natural weathering colour of teak is an ashy silver shade. This develops within the first year and gradually darkens over time. There is no need to treat your furniture at all if you are happy with this natural process.
Teak oil should not be applied. The quality of wood we select contains plenty
of oil naturally. Adding more makes the surface sticky which attracts dust and
dirt.
To maintain the original colour of the teak we recommend using a marine
product called Berger available from a chandler. This seals the surface and so
the colour stays the same as long as the applications are made as per the
instructions.
There are many other products on the market and we advise extreme caution
in applying them. It is very easy to spoil the natural teak appearance.
Marks on the furniture can be removed using soapy water or soft sandpaper.
High pressure water hosing is not necessary, but if used should be done from
a distance so as not to break up the fibres in the wood.
