More and more Americans are discovering the true joys of outdoor living, spending quality time with family and friends outside, playing on the grass, harvesting from the vegetable garden and dining on the patio. These days, a back yard isn’t “just a back yard” – it’s an extension of your living space.
The type of furniture you pick for your patio or deck sets the overall tone for your outdoor room.
Photo Credit: ©2007 Westminster Teak USA, Inc.
Quality teak furniture is made to last season after season.
Photo Credit: ©2007 Westminster Teak USA, Inc.
Outdoor patio furniture doesn’t have to be traditional. Modern tables and chairs can give your eating area a whole new look and feel to weekend barbeques.
Photo Credit: ©2007 Westminster Teak USA, Inc.
It only makes sense, then, that the furniture used to decorate your “outdoor room” is as beautiful and comfortable as it is functional. After all, you wouldn’t buy an ugly, stiff couch for the family room – why should your patio or deck be any different?
Similar to indoor furniture, outdoor tables and chairs are intended to be used and enjoyed. And they’re not only functional – they help set the tone for your entire outdoor living experience. Homeowners are no longer limited to the usual picnic table standbys. Today’s outdoor furniture options range from classic designs to the more modern, and from simple to elaborate. And the types of materials they’re made from range greatly as well.
One of the more popular materials for outdoor furniture is teak. Known for its resistance against natural conditions, this wood is practically impervious to the effects of snow, ice, rain, sun, heat, cold and humidity. No matter how harsh your winters or stifling your summers, you’ll find that teak can handle the weather – it simply won’t degrade like other woods.
If you start comparison shopping for teak furniture, you’ll notice that the selection is as far-ranging as its prices. Many consumers often wonder why the price difference is so huge for products that look so similar. The difference is in quality. And like with most products, when it comes to teak, you get what you pay for.
If you’re in the market for some new outdoor furniture and you’re considering teak, check for the following pertinent factors in construction to be sure you’ve found a quality product:
High-quality Wood
Like genuine leather, there are varying qualities of teak. Much of the lumber used in the “cottage industry” of Indonesia, for example, is of secondary quality that may include sapwood. Select a manufacturer that only uses premium grade, 100 percent Tectona grandis (common teak). High-quality teak characteristics include straight grain structure; an absence of knots, splits or cracks; and an even color tone.
Kiln-drying process
In addition to being high-quality itself, the best teak wood used for furniture should be kiln-dried. This process takes about two weeks to achieve a moisture content of about 10 percent and an additional week or so of “resting” to allow the wood to reabsorb moisture in the air. (Natural reabsorbing of moisture helps ensure that the wood regains its dimensional stability and shouldn’t warp or split during or after the manufacturing process. This crucial stage also ensures the stability of the furniture to withstand the rigors of climatic changes.)
Joinery
All critical connections in high-quality teak furniture are made with the traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery (in which the end of one piece of wood is inserted into a hole cut into another piece). With this type of construction, each piece is precision-cut to ensure a perfect fit, and weatherproof glues help seal the fact that your table and chairs won’t fall apart after spending a few seasons out in the elements.
True, you’ll likely pay more for a high-quality product. But you’ll be rewarded in the long run with year after year of fine outdoor living experiences – without all the warping, splitting or cracking (which is what a lesser-quality product may do within the first year of outdoor use).
So when you go furniture shopping for your “outdoor room,” don’t hesitate to look thoroughly at the craftsmanship of every table and chair. Examine the wood, inspect the joints and hardware, look at the undersides and feel the finish. It’s been said that you never really own fine teak furniture – you enjoy it, with the least care, leaving you and your family to enjoy your outdoor living experience as you should: to its fullest.
