Teak is a world-renowned and expensive tree species that has been used for centuries in shipbuilding, bridges, fine furniture and home construction. To this day, teak remains a favorite for high-end furniture, including yacht decks and floors. Compared with other hardwoods, teak has better value, reputation and popularity, and has excellent wood characteristics.
1. Teak is a hardwood.
Teak floors feel soft and smooth enough to walk on barefoot, but many may ask is teak a hardwood? How hard is teak? According to the Janka hardness scale, the hardness of teak is 1000lbf, much harder than pine or cedar, and close to the hardness of American black walnut. Teak is a comfortable hardwood rated Janka 22lbf, making it more comfortable to walk on than other harder woods.
2. How much does teak weigh?
The air-dry density of teak wood is only 650Kg/m3 to 700kg/m3, which is much lighter than hardwood of the same quality. This medium weight teak plays a very important role in boat building.
3. What color is teak?
The heartwood of teak varies in color from ecru to brown, while the sapwood is a pale cream color. Teak wood is susceptible to ultraviolet sunlight, so prolonged exposure to sunlight will gradually oxidize and discolour, from light brown to golden yellow.
Teak wood floors usually need to be exposed to the sun for a period of time to achieve a more golden color. However, if teak products are exposed to sunlight for a long time without any protective treatment, bleaching will occur, slowly changing from the original golden color to gray silver. This phenomenon can also be seen on products such as teak outdoor patio flooring, teak yacht flooring and teak outdoor furniture.
In order to protect teak products from ultraviolet rays, the common method is to treat teak with oil surface. Exterior Wood Wax Oil is the best finish for teak wood both indoors and outdoors. It maintains the beauty of teak, keeps its golden color, and is soft to the touch and comfortable to walk on.
4. What is the texture and grain of teak wood?
Teak, with its beautiful grain, subtle inky lines, straight or wavy grain, and flame-grained veins, exhibits a golden hue that evokes a feeling of great warmth, comfort and calm.
5. How water resistant is teak wood?
Known for its unique water resistance, teak is the gold standard for hardwood water resistance. The natural oil content fills all the vessels of teak wood, preventing water penetration, especially Burmese teak wood over 50 years old. This is why teak is suitable for shower or bathroom floors and is one of the reasons why boat builders choose teak as a material for boat building.
6. Teak is very durable.
Teak is one of the most durable hardwoods and can last for hundreds of years without decay. Teak oil protects wood from bacteria, pests and termites, and is responsible for its resistance to decay. The natural oils in teak help protect the wood from weathering over time. Therefore, the teak palace in Thailand is still golden yellow even after 300 years.
7. How stable is teak?
Teak wood has excellent water resistance, because it contains natural wood oil, external water cannot penetrate its natural oil film, and the internal structure does not absorb external moisture. The ducts of teak are filled with natural oil, even if water penetrates the oil film on the surface of teak, it will be squeezed out slowly. Therefore, in places with severe climate changes, teak does not expand and contract due to absorption or loss of water, unlike other woods. Even after soaking in water for several days, teak wood hardly changes in size. This is one of the important reasons why boat builders choose teak.
8. Teak is rich in silicon.
Teak is rich in silicon and has strong strength. When sawing teak, the passivation effect of silicon element is significant to the saw blade. When metal or iron contacts teak, the silicon element in teak can prevent oxidation and cause decay; other hardwoods will oxidize and shorten the service life when they contact iron.
9. Teak wood origin or teak wood species
Teak is a tropical broad-leaved tree species native to southeastern Asia, such as Thailand, Myanmar, India, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Demand is high and prices are high, so it is grown in large quantities around the world, including in Africa and southern America. Thailand has banned the logging and export of teak, and the best teak now usually comes from Myanmar's ancient forests, more than 50 years old. Indonesia has the world's largest artificial teak forest, which has been planted for more than 50 years and has very similar wood characteristics to Burmese teak.
10. What is the grade of teak?
The teak wood grade quality standard is the most famous FEQ, which is the number one quality standard in Europe. FEQ is divided into
1) Preference Quality:
Grade AA straight grain, quarter-sawn or half-sawn only , teak hardwood flooring quality preferred
2) Generally acceptable quality:
First-class straight and circular grain, slipknot , a small amount of water-stained grain , flat saw
3) Acceptable quality in negotiation
Visible color changes with dark flame or stain marks, black streaks or lines
4) The quality is generally unacceptable
Sapwood, cracks, dead knots
In view of the above-mentioned characteristics of teak wood, I hope everyone understands the water resistance, corrosion resistance, insect and termite resistance of teak wood. I also hope this article helps you choose to use teak wood for interior decoration, such as wooden floors, wooden furniture, bathroom floors, patio railings or yachts, etc.