Teak Furniture Facts

Teak furniture is furniture made from teak wood. Teak is the name for a tall deciduous timber tree of the verbena family. The fruit of the teak tree is called a drupe.

Teak furniture is a very popular type of furniture due to its unique appearance and its incredible ability to withstand the elements. It is not unusual for teak furniture, even outdoor teak furniture, to last 100 years or longer without rot or insect damage. In cold climates, outdoor teak furniture must be brought inside, as all woods, even teak, can suffer splitting form freezing temperatures.

Teak is a fine wood often used in boatbuilding and furniture making. Teak furniture withstands weather, rot and insects well making it ideal for outdoor or patio furniture, as well as marine decking mainly for sailboats. The huge decks of world war II battleships was also made of teak for these reasons as well as the fact that teak can be walked on when wet with less chance of slippage.

Teak is a tropical wood that has high natural oil content, so it is not necessary to stain teak. Teak looks so good that it is often used without stain. Every piece of teak furniture will look slightly different, as teak will come in a wide range of grains or "patterns". Unstained teak will have an olive-brown or yellow-brown color and eventually, especially if used outdoors, develop a beautiful silver patina. Teak weight density is 45 pounds per cubic foot.

There is sometimes teak furniture on the market made from old wood. Not to be confused with "old growth" teak, old wood teak furniture is teak furniture built from material obtained by dismantling older teak furniture or other teak construction and reassembling it into a new product. Old growth teak is teak from natural teak forests as opposed to plantation gown teak. It is illegal to cut old growth teak in many areas of the world.