Are you looking for some handmade reclaimed teak furniture for your place? What is handmade reclaimed teak furniture and why should you choose it instead of other furniture products made of all other materials? Before contacting any wooden furniture maker to purchase your handmade furniture product, you might want to learn more about the material used to make your desired pieces. This article will talk not only about what teak wood and reclaimed teak lumber is, but also why reclaimed teak is favorable for wooden furniture manufacture. Check them out!
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What Is Teak Wood?
In both Indonesia furniture manufacture industry and worldwide, teak wood is a gem. It is seen by many as an incredibly precious material which becomes everyone’s favorite. But why is that? You will know after learning more about this type of wood.
The binominal name of teak is Tectona grandis, from order Lamiales and family Lamiaceae. This species of tropical tree which is classified as hardwood is native to a wide part of South and Southeast Asian regions, such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Thailand. Myanmar’s forests are home to most of the naturally grown teak, while Indonesia is also famous for its cultivation of teak wood which is of the highest quality. This valuable deciduous tree can grow up to 40 m tall, and it takes up to 20 years for the cultivated teak to grow mature before it is ready to be harvested.
Part of Teak Wood and Its Characteristics
The heartwood of teak, which is the core or center part of the log, is yellowish in color and gets darker and darker as it grows older. Eventually, it will reach the gorgeous golden to dark brown color. The best quality of teak lumber, which is labeled as the Grade A one, is taken from this part of mature teak wood. This lumber is most commonly chosen by Indonesia furniture manufactures as the best material to produce their signature pieces. Only about one fifth to a quarter of the entire teak wood is the heartwood. This is why Grade A teak wood is extremely valuable (and rather high-priced).
The texture of teak wood is hard, with beautiful grains which are even and close to each others. Teak is naturally adaptable to extreme environment. The wood produces protective oils by its nature. This explains its glossy surface of teak wood and also why it is a little oily when you touch it. The natural oils contained in teak wood also contribute to the most outstanding trait of this wood, which is its durability. The high oil content in teak wood also prevent swelling, shrinking, as well as warping which might happen during production process, making it a stable material for woodworking. Teak wood is extremely resistant to termite and other pests, as well as rot and fungi. In addition, it can withstand extreme weather. The wood is also hard and sturdy.
The outermost part of the wood, which is called the sapwood, has pale white to yellowish color. 40% of the log comprises of this part. Unfortunately, this part of teak wood is a lot more vulnerable than the heartwood part.
Where Are Reclaimed Teak Wood from?
For more than two centuries, people have been harvesting teak to build boats, thanks to its hardness and strength, as well as other spectacular traits such as highly resistance to rot and its low potential to shrink or swell which makes it able to withstand changes in moisture. Other than boats, teak wood is also used to make parts of houses, furniture products such as table, chair, cabinet, and cupboards, flooring, cutting boards, and many others. In Indonesia itself, old growth teak wood has been harvested for hundreds of years to build houses and other buildings. Teak wood is utilized not only as doors and windows frames, but also the wall, floor, and other parts of the house. However, as the time goes, most of these building had been purposively demolished or crashed down by natural disaster like earthquake, replaced by newer and more modern buildings which use modern materials like various kinds of metals.
Reclaimed teak wood is a recycled teak wood, meaning that it comes from teak wood which has been used previously. As mentioned previously, although it is very durable and hard wearing, there are loads of teak structures which still had to be dismantled due to several unavoidable reasons. This leads to the abundant supply of used teak wood waiting to be destroyed and go to waste. Of course, there is no unwanted teak wood as this type of hardwood is just too precious to waste. Besides, reclaimed teak wood usually comes from the old growth teak, the one that grew naturally for years which is also among the rarest wood in the world. This is because their numbers are dwindling after centuries of exploitation.
Reclaimed teak lumber does not mean it is already broken and damaged. Remember, teak wood is renowned for its durability and decay resistance. It is long-lasting and heavy-duty. Therefore, reclaimed teak lumber has just the same quality and traits as newly harvested ones. Using reclaimed teak lumber to produce new furniture items is a brilliant idea; it provides enough time for the forests to recover until new mature cultivated teak wood is ready to harvest. Different from freshly cut teak wood, reclaimed teak wood has its own uniqueness, especially in its color. It is because this type of teak wood has gone through a lot over time, making it ages charmingly with gorgeous little imperfections which rather adds up to its beauty.
What Makes Reclaimed Teak Lumber a Great Material for Furniture Making?
There are countless reasons on why handmade reclaimed teak furniture is among the best ones on sale.
- It has unquestionable durability and longevity
Teak wood is that type of hardwood or solid wood which is among the hardest, strongest, and has the greatest durability of all kinds of wood. So, you don’t need to doubt reclaimed teak durability anymore. Reclaimed teak lumber is Justas durable and strong as harvested teak wood. Its longevity is also out of question. Once you buy handmade reclaimed teak furniture, it will last longer than what you can expect from wooden furniture. It is because, just like newly harvested teak wood, reclaimed teak wood is also rich in natural protective oils. This makes handmade reclaimed teak furniture resistant to termite and other destructive pests as well as any unfavorable weather, even under exposure to direct sunlight, rain, snow, and frost.
Although you might need to spend more money on handmade reclaimed teak furniture, for a long run, this will save you more. It is because you won’t have to buy new furniture in a little while as your purchased furniture won’t break so easily. You might end up displaying the same furniture for decades! No, it is not a bad thing to stick with the oldies. Not at all! You will see why in a moment.
- Handmade reclaimed teak furniture is full of charm and beauty
Teak wood furniture is well-known for its beautiful natural appearance. Every piece which is hand-made of reclaimed teak wood is unique and has an attractive character. Every each one of reclaimed teak lumber exists with history from its previous use, be it a former eccentric traditional house in Java, a part of old carriage or container, or many others. Also, since its durability and longevity are out of question, reclaimed teak wood furniture can be used in display over generations. As many things will happen over time, and each moment will create its memorable story, your sturdy and hard wearing handmade reclaimed teak furniture will be able to ‘witness’ all of them and be a part of those stories. How wonderful that is!
- It is more eco-friendly
The old-growth Indonesian teak wood itself is carefully managed by Indonesian government through Perum Perhutani, a state-owned enterprise which takes care of Indonesian forest and everything inside it. It establishes high standard on when and what teak wood should be harvested so as to make sure it is sustainable. But, reclaimed teak wood is even better; it is environmentally friendly as no tree is cut. As stated previously above, reclaimed teak wood comes from old lumber which has been through production process into several kinds of teak wood products, e.g. houses and other buildings, boats, shipping containers, and many others, and would later been discarded. This means that by choosing to use reclaimed teak lumber to produce wooden furniture, there is no need to waste teak wood which takes a lot of time to grow before being harvested.
Care and Maintenance Tips of Handmade Reclaimed Teak Furniture
The care and maintenance of handmade reclaimed teak furniture is also hassle-free, even for those who don’t really understand how to take care of wooden furniture. You don’t even need to do anything to it; simply dust its surface once in a while is more than enough! Even though your furniture has natural finishing, reclaimed teak wood furniture is by its nature stain- and water-resistant. So, don’t worry if someone spills any liquid to your teak wood furniture; you just need to wipe it with dampened cloths. It’s as easy and simple as that!
If you already set your eyes for some reclaimed teak dining table and chair, cabinets, or living room and bedroom furniture, it is granted that every piece will be very special and own classic beauty and elegance. So, are you ready to own some handmade reclaimed teak furniture? Consult with our team to make your own customizable pieces.