There is no denying the many benefits of buying quality teak furniture. The durable "king of hardwoods" is resistant to rot, warping, infestation and more. At the same time, it is a beautiful wood that outlasts almost any other material available. But when shopping for teak chairs, you should also be aware of what not to buy, both because of environmental concerns along with false advertising.
Background Check
The cultivation of trees for use as lumber and more is one of the world's natural resources that is too easily and too often exploited. Although they make look nice, the teak chairs you buy could stem from unscrupulous logging practices that furnish your home at the expense of a rainforest.
Endangered Teak
In Southeast Asia, there exist three species of Teak tree. These are the following: Tectona grandis (common teak), Tectona hamiltoniana (Dahat Teak) and Tectona philippinensis (Philippine Teak). Tectona grandis is the only species of teak that grows readily enough for harvesting. That's because both Dahat Teak, from Burma, and Philippine Teak, native to the Philippines, are highly endangered. Of course, this does not stop either species from being cultivated for use.
Deforestation
Along with the illegal cutting down of endangered Teak trees, even the Common species is not immune from unsavory logging endeavors. Companies have an unwritten obligation to replant the same amount of trees to supplant the amount they harvested to counteract deforestation. At the same time, they should take heed of soil erosion, as well as native animal habitats. Of course, when it comes down to
money, many people turn a blind eye, especially impoverished workers who have no better alternative.
Buyer Beware
There is also the possibility of stores attempting to pass off teak chairs that are not actually made of teak. With just some clever wording, companies will have consumers believing they are buying the real thing when in fact it is just a cheaper knockoff.
Unreasonable Facsimiles
One way stores will try and confuse the buyer is by selling furniture labeled as being "teak-like."
All this means is that whatever wood it is has some similarity to teak, but in fact possesses not one piece of the real wood. These so-called teak chairs will often be made from other woods and hardwoods, like Shorea. Shorea in itself is not an inferior product, but is no substitute for real teak.
The name Shorea actually refers to a group of different hardwoods, so when you examine different items of furniture look for the following terms that are species of Shorea and not Teak: Balau, Almon, White Meranti, Dark Red Meranti, and Yellow Meranti.
Teak Oil
Finally, if the furniture you are eyeing is said to be "teak oiled" or something along those lines, it is again not real teak that you are dealing with. Teak oiled furniture is furniture that has simply been coated with a layer of the natural resinous oils produced by the teak tree. However, teak oils are renowned for being their protective qualities, so buying something coated with teak oil is not necessarily a bad thing; it's just not teak.
Author Resource:-
Todd Arend is a freelance writing professional whose expertise covers a variety of areas, including patio and backyard furniture, landscaping and design. He regularly writes about Teak Chairs and Teak Rocking Chairs.
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