Teak is a close grained hardwood with high natural oil content. It
is highly resistant to rotting and almost impervious to the effects of
sun, rain, frost or snow. These characteristics make it the ideal timber
for all outdoor applications. Many other hardwoods are used for outdoor
furniture and some are even marketed as 'teak substitutes', however,
there is no substitute for teak and no other hardwood will perform to
the same standard as teak in outdoor conditions.
Teak does not require any special maintenance routine. Left
outside, the exposed surfaces of the furniture will become a soft
silvery grey in color. Besides, weather will cause some surface erosion
leading to slight surface roughness, possible mildew and checking.
Checking is a natural process that occurs when teak develops small
cracks in the end grain. However, this does not affect the durability of
teak furniture.
The properties that make teak such a well-suited material for this use
are two-fold. First of all, it's high in natural oils, making it
naturally resistant to rain, snow, and other damaging weather. Second,
it has an exceptionally tight grain that resists splintering. Both of
these qualities have served to make it a perfectly suited material for
the construction of quality furniture for outdoor use.
Grades in Teak Collections
1) Grade A teak refers to the mature heartwood of a teak tree. In order to
harvest mature heartwood, a teak tree needs to be about 20 years old or
more.
2) Grade B teak refers to the immature heartwood. This would be the outer
section of heartwood that is found in between the mature heartwood and
the outer sapwood. The grain of Grade B teak will not be as uniform as
that of Grade A teak.
3)Grade C teak refers to the sapwood of the teak tree. This is the
outer wood, which is still growing. This section of the truck is vital
to the livelihood of the teak tree.
well let me tell you some simple tips while buying any teak collection
Grade A teak is rich with natural oil, Grade B teak wood will also not contain as much oil and Grade C teak wood is full of water and lacking oil,even you can know by color. In grade A teak wood feels slightly oily when you touch it. And it should have a warm golden color when new, like the color of honey ,in grade B it appear more dull that the glossier Grade A wood. Furniture
made from Grade B teak will still hold up, but not as well as anything
made from Grade A teak.Grade C teak will also have an uneven color more dull than Grade B.