Use our Teak Furniture Glossary to assist you in making your teak selection and purchases.

TEAK:  Teak is a premier furniture wood made from the Teak Tree (Tectona grandis) grown in East India and Indonesia.  Due to the high oil content, Teak furniture is naturally resistant to rotting, splitting, or pest issues making it the perfect choice for outdoor patio furniture.    

TEAK OIL:  Products sold as "teak oil" are linseed or tung oil mixed with solvents.  We do not recommend using these products on your teak furniture.  They are not inherent to teak wood, and can actually attract, harbor, and feed mildew.

BURMA TEAK:    Burhma (now called Myanmar) is one of 4 countries with natural teak forests.  Burma exports a large percentage of the world's teak wood, but most is not government controlled.   

DECIDUOUS FORESTS:    The environment in which teak trees grow naturally, usually at a rate of 1 to 5 per acre of forest.  

ELEPHANTS:    Elephants are the most widely used source of transportation of felled teak.  They have a much lower environmental impact on the forests than machines.  

HAND MADE: While 'made by hand' is a benefit in some manufacturing processes, it is not in teak furniture manufacturing.  Hand made in Indonesia means hand tools and would indicate that joints and joinery would not fit tightly enough to last through practical outdoor furniture usage.  

HEARTWOOD:  The wood closest to the inside of the teak tree trunk.  This wood has a tight grain with a pleasant, aromatic fragrance and a honey color which turns more brown or salmon with hardening.  

JATI:   The Indonesian name for teak.  

KILN DRIED:  The process by which the teak wood is dried in a controlled environment prior to manufacture.  If teak wood is not kiln dried to the optimal moisture content, it will crack and split when made into teak furniture.  

LIGNIN:    The substance in wood that makes it hard.  The more lignin that is present, the harder the wood.  Lignin can be digested only by termites.  

MACHINE MADE: The preferred method of manufacturing Teak Furniture, it produces pieces that are well-matched and repeatable.

MORTIS AND TENON JOINERY: The method of securing teak wood furniture peices together, without using nails.  A square hole is made and a square peice inserted.  The teak wood pieces are firmly joined through compression, swelling, and friction.  This is the preferred method of joinery in fine outdoor teak furniture.

RAIN FOREST:    This is not where teak trees grow.  

TEAK RESTORING:   The process of reclaiming teak furniture to the original finish after it has been weathered, stained, or develops mildew.  Our Teak Cleaner and other products help you restore the natural beauty of your teak furniture peices.  

TEAK PRESERVATION: Our Teak Sealer preserves the natural honey color of your new teak furniture or teak accessories in a simple, easy-to-apply method.  Keep your garden teak furniture looking brand new for decades.

WEATHERING:  The natural process of allowing your golden teak wood furniture to turn grey.  The oils in the teak wood oxidize which gives the outer layer of the teak furniture a lovely, soft grey patina.