Teak Patio Furniture Use And Care

Teak Patio Furniture Use And Care

When the weather gets colder, many homeowners face a dilemma: to keep their patio furniture outside, with proper weatherproofing, or take it inside and try to accommodate in a basement or garage. But with teak patio furniture, you will no longer want to stash the patio set in the basement. Instead, you will want to flaunt it all year long.

Teak patio furniture is becoming more popular each day, with more designers exploring the timeless charm of teak wood. This wood, which grows in Burma, Indonesia and other exotic locations, is extremely durable, light and convenient, and it ages with a stunning grace.

According to historians, woven wicker furniture was first used in ancient Egypt. But since that time teak has become a favorite of garden furniture manufacturers only in the beginning of the 20th century, when white garden furniture has been labeled as boring and the prominent garden decorator Gertrude Jekyll claimed that gray- or green-toned garden furniture is more attractive. Since teak weathers to a beautiful silvery gray, it has soon become a popular wood of choice for many garden and patio furniture manufacturers.

Teak is one of the most valuable woods today. Teak wood grows in severe climatic conditions in Burma and Indonesia. Teak is a very hard wood resistant to wind, pests, sun, and humidity. In addition, teak does not splinter. For centuries, teak was used in marine building, which means that teak patio furniture can be easily left outside even in harsh climate conditions.

One of the most remarkable features of teak wood is its ability to change color with age. When new, its color varies from light to dark brown and over years becomes a light silver gray. The first “gray hair” in teak furniture will be noticeable after three to four months of use, depending on how contrasting the climate conditions are in your area. For example, if you have cold nights and hot sunny days, teak patio furniture will turn to gray faster. Natural teak will become gray in about a year.

To preserve this beautiful taupe shade of gray, you can wash the teak patio furniture every spring with mild detergent and water. To prevent dust accumulation you may wash the furniture with your regular garden hose, keeping the water pressure at low.

Even though teak wood does not splinter, it may develop small cracks with time. Teak wood contains a high amount of natural wood oils, so it will not develop deep structural cracks. There is no need to treat teak wood with any kind of wood sprays or oils to protect it; however, the teak wood oil does create a pretty surface sheen. You may apply oil when you plan to leave the teak furniture outside for a long period of time, or when the wood starts to show gray.

Since in most cases teak wood is left untreated when used for teak patio furniture, you should avoid spilling food or drinks on the wood surface. If you do happen to “leave your mark”, don’t use any harsh detergents to remove it. Any marks will eventually fade with time. When the stain is noticeable, you may scrub the area with mild sandpaper. Ultra-violet rays also damage the sheen of the teak furniture, and an annual treatment with properly labeled teak wood oil is recommended. Make sure that your teak wood furniture is clean and dry before treating, because you don’t want to trap any water under the coat of oil.



For more information about teak furniture please visit the home furnishings blog

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

How To Find Discount Patio Furniture

by Tom Houser

Teak wood patio furniture is renowned for its beauty and elegance. For many people, teak furniture transforms their outdoor patio in to a lavish getaway. Teak wood has qualities that are unlike any other wood. It is dense, rich in oil, almost immune to splitting, buckling, and rotting, thus making it termite proof. Teak wood has been prized for centuries as one of the worlds most durable and stable woods for outdoor usage. For centuries, teak wood has been used for shipbuilding because of its durability. When amortized over the years, taking into consideration its quality and durability, teak wood is truly a worthwhile investment.

There are many types of hardwood used for outdoor furniture. In fact, a lot are even marked as "teak substitutes". There is absolutely no substitute for teak wood and no other hardwood in the world will perform to the same high quality standards as teak wood in outdoor conditions. Teak is without doubt, the best hardwood in the world for outdoor furniture.

Teak wood patio furniture is generally quite expensive. However, there are many people looking to redecorate their patio on a budget. Many of these same people make the mistake of believing that teak wood patio furniture is too expensive. Teak wood furniture is expensive by many people’s standards, but as I said, teak wood is more than worth the costs. You will also be happy to know that there are options available in finding discount teak patio furniture. One option is to pay close attention to store sales in your local area. You will find that retailers have sales on in the spring or at the end of season. The only drawback from end of season sales is that you will not get to enjoy your new teak wood patio furniture until the following season.

Another option for locating discount teak wood furniture is to use the internet. The internet can be one of the best ways for locating discounts and sales of just about any type of product. Keep in mind the shipping costs when searching the internet for discounts. Make sure you do some background checking before purchasing any teak furniture off the internet. Check the Better Business Bureau of the Internet stores home office. It might be wise to give the Internet store a call just to make sure they are a legitimate operation.

See if you can find a teak wood patio furniture supplier as opposed to a traditional retailer. Traditional retailers tend to sell a wide variety of different products, whereas many suppliers may only focus on a certain type of product, such as teak wood patio furniture. Since there may not be an intermediary associated with the supplier, you are more likely to find discount teak wood patio furniture from a supplier.

Thomas D. Houser
Teak Wood Patio Furniture

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com