6 Teakwood Patio Furniture Buying Tips

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Outdoor furnishings are unique because they need a special kind of shopping method – you need to consider materials that won’t be affected by the ravaging elements outside. You also need to make sure that the piece will last for many years. Teak is one such material that is often used to craft patio furnishings.

Teak comes with a beautiful golden color and is known to be highly durable. It has natural rubber and oils, thus, it can easily withstand Mother Nature when she wreaks havoc. This means that a teak furniture would be protected from moisture, insects and wood rot, and you will also be ascertained of a durable patio piece for many years to come.

While teak is known to be great for outdoor use, you should still be armed with the right shopping tips when you finally go out to shop. Here are some things that you need to consider when buying teak for your patio –

Check for Excellence

Teak wood is harvested from a mature teak tree. This is the type of wood that can endure through many weather difficulties especially when it is properly treated.

The proper way to treat, say, a teak table is to wash it first with soap and water and then using a bristle brush, you brush away the dirt. Allow the wood to dry then apply the teak brightener in order to restore its original hue.

You can then proceed to apply the UV blocking sealant and allow it to dry. This should last for about a year.

Check for Easy Maintenance

With a recent finish, you should be able to clean your teak furniture with ease. Just wipe away the dust and dirt and you should be fine. If the teak patio piece already has a stain, then you can use a baking soda treatment together with warm water.

Give it a few, gentle wipes and you should be fine.

Check for Handmade Pieces

Teak furniture pieces aren’t all the same. There are pieces that are fully machine made and there are others that are semi-machine crafted. What you need to look for is the handcrafted teak furniture since this is the least costly plus they are made by artisans.

Check for Grade A

Of course, you would want to have teak furniture that is Grade A. These are those pieces that are warm honey colored. They also show close grains and seem to be oily to your touch. You would also feel that the wood is dense.

Grade A teak wood is harvested from mature trees, therefore, they are expected to be sturdier and naturally more resistant to the elements.

If you look close enough, you would even be able to notice just how glossy Grade A teak wood seems to be.

Check for Chemically-treated Teak

There are some teak logs that are treated with sulfuric acid. This is done so that the patchy appearance of the wood is finally made even.

Never buy chemically-treated teak. Not only does it show a homogenous color but it also contains dangerous particles that could cause skin burns.

Hydrogen peroxide is another kind of chemical that is used to treat teak. This is done so that low-grade teak is disguised. While this does not have any effects on a person’s health, still, it degrades the natural oiliness of the wood, making it brittle and weak.

Check for Kiln Drying

Good teak wood is always defined by its grade. Grade A teak should be kiln-dried if you want it to last for a long time. Kiln-drying is technically placing wood inside ovens and slow-drying them. Teak needs to be dried or seasoned so that its moisture content is greatly reduced. It is also a time-consuming process but one that can guarantee you a durable furniture piece.

Tags: McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, patio, patio furnishings, patio furniture, patio furniture buying guide

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 30th, 2018 at 9:39 am and is filed under Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Outdoors Style. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.