Benefits of Indonesian Teak Furniture

For ecological, quality reasons, Indonesian teak is tops
By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

Are you in the market for teak furniture? The three basic reasons most people buy teak are: (1) our innate affinity with nature; (2) it's a very durable product; and (3) it's easy to maintain.

Currently, there is a strong wave of appreciation for, and desire to maintain, the natural beauty of the Earth. When talking about furniture, teak seems to fit into this niche quite well as it brings nature into our homes in a useful and practical way.

Teak is a very hard, closely grained wood extremely high in natural oils. These properties help maintain the wood's endurance. If properly made, teak furniture will not warp, rot, split or crack; it can be more than 50 years old and still not show signs of aging.

The ecology-minded will be interested to know that the teak wood to specify when buying furniture is Indonesian teak. Why? In Indonesia, there are teak plantations strictly managed by the government to harvest this wood for the sole purpose of manufacturing.

In no way does the use of this wood interfere or damage Indonesia's rain forest. In fact, the only teak products the environmental groups Rainforest Alliance and Friends of the Earth certify are those from Indonesia.

Besides buying the wood from Indonesia, you might want to request that the furniture is also made there.

One reason is that the Indonesians are renowned craftspeople. Another is the significant cost advantage, as labor is less expensive, and the raw-teak-export tariff is quite high.

One more reason to buy Indonesian-harvested and Indonesian-made furniture is that you are helping that country receive earned value for the responsible use of its resources.

If you are buying teak for outdoor use, you can be assured that it will withstand the elements with grace.

Often the only way you can tell an old piece of teak furniture from a new one is that the weather-beaten one will have turned a silver-gray and the new one will be a honey tone.

If you want to fool Mother Nature, you can preserve that honey color with teak oil or other wood treatments made specifically for youth-preserving reasons.