Teak: characteristics, use and maintenance

Teak is a highly valued exotic wood and thanks to its special characteristics, it is used in various fields, such as shipbuilding.

If you want to know all the characteristics of this material and how to keep it beautiful over time, then this article is perfect for you. Enjoy the reading!

Teak is a hardwood that grows naturally in the South Asian region from India to Vietnam. The best ecological conditions for this plant are found in Myanmar (formerly Burma), where teak can grow up to 45-50 m in height. The plant has blue-white flowers and fruits resembling plums.

Remaining in Asia, it is possible to find teak plantations in Indonesia. For several decades, cultivation has also been experimented in various tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa and Central and South America, but the weight and mechanical strength are up to 18% lower than the Asian wood that grows naturally in forests.

The scientific name for teak is Tectona grandis (family Verbenaceae). This tree species usually has a straight, regular stem. The sapwood is light yellow and the heartwood is golden-brown when fresh, while it turns reddish-brown with grain that can turn black when seasoned. The wood has a medium-low hardness, a low degree of shrinkage and high stability, especially when seasoned. It feels 'oily' to the touch due to an oily-resinous component that guarantees excellent durability, even in environmental conditions that are usually hostile to wood. It is precisely because of this characteristic that teak resists moisture, saltiness, acids and attacks by insects and fungi very well.

The downside of the presence of oily resin is that gluing the wood does not always succeed. Teak wood also contains a fair amount of silica, which causes rapid wear of the tools used for sawing.

Guglielmo Giordano in his book 'Tecnologia del legno' (Wood Technology) talks about a particular technique that is carried out on teak plants destined for felling: the ringing. It consists of removing a ring of bark from the base of the trunk. The plant is kept standing for 2 or 3 years and in this way loses most of its moisture, allowing the sawn logs to be transported from the forest to the ports of embarkation.

Teak was initially used for shipbuilding, both for planking and deck flooring. Due to the special characteristics of this wood, it was later also used for window fixtures, garden furniture, flooring, swimming pools and outdoor structures.

The best teak to use for structural or carpentry work is Burmese teak, while from an aesthetic point of view, the best one is Indian teak.
The use of this wood has been increasing over the past decades, but the availability, especially of Asian teak, is decreasing more and more, which is why its cost is now quite high. According to a study conducted by the FAO in 2010, the area of natural teak forests decreased by 385,000 hectares (1.3%) between 1992 and 2010.

Due to wild logging campaigns, a ban on cutting down natural forests was imposed in Thailand in 1989, and Thai teak (known commercially as 'Teak Siam') is today no longer exported in logs and boards, but only in the form of manufactured products. Even 'Burma Teak' (from Myanmar) is being depleted, despite the fact that this state's environmental policy has been different from Thailand's. The natural growth of these trees does not go hand in hand with the commercial demand: in order to be able to make teak planking for the shipbuilding industry, the plant has to grow for about 60-70 years. Thus, to meet the growing market demand, artificial teak has also been created in recent years.

As we have already mentioned, teak is also cultivated in some African and South American areas, but the tree generally grows narrower, lower and has a reduced oil resin content: this results in the wood being less waterproof, resistant and durable. Its quality may, therefore, decline and in the presence of second or third grade teak (which may also contain knots), it becomes necessary to consider protective treatments.

Be careful not to confuse teak grown in Africa with Iroko, a plant of African origin that is sometimes improperly called 'African teak'!

As we said, teak has high stability and durability, but - like all woods - it is not eternal and is subject to ageing and wear, especially if this material is used in places exposed to high environmental stress, such as maritime locations.

Teak has a medium to low hardness, which means that it is prone to scratches and dents, which can be caused, for example, by shoe heels, our pets' nails, falling objects or pebbles embedded in the soles of shoes.

This wood can also get stained either by smog or by unintentional spills of drinks, food or sunscreen, which generate unsightly stains. For this reason, it is often decided to protect it with water-repellent and/or stain-resistant treatments.

One can choose to varnish the teak or use oils that protect it while maintaining its naturalness, such as Lignum Nature [link scheda prodotto]. It is always a good idea to follow the recommendations on the product labels, but as far as oils are concerned, the general advice we can give is to never apply too much and to always remove excess to avoid a sticky feel.

Teak treated with Lignum Nature

Despite its excellent characteristics, teak gets dirty, wears out and tends to greying over time. Carrying out scheduled maintenance therefore means extending the life of this particular material. Major damage can be caused by atmospheric agents and improper use of chemicals and cleaning tools.

Generally, it is good to clean teak with water and a sponge or cloth to remove loose dirt. If extraordinary cleaning is carried out, a neutral detergent and a cloth or brush with soft bristles can be used to remove deeper dirt. The use of hard bristle brushes is not recommended as they make it easier to remove fibres from the surface and in the long run create small grooves in the wood. In any case, it is always a good idea to clean by rubbing perpendicular to the grain pattern to avoid fraying.

If mould has formed on the surface, it is advisable to use a product based on sodium hypochlorite, such as Lignum Biosel.

If you feel that the wood is drying out too much or is greying then it is time to refresh it. If the teak has never been treated or has been treated with an oil, it is usually enough to pass a coat of the product to see it regenerated, as we show you in this video.

If the teak is severely greyed, before proceeding with an impregnating or varnishing treatment, it is a good idea to carry out a thorough cleaning with specific detergents that have the characteristic of renewing the wood and removing the greyness, such as Lignum Vivo.

Hai ancora qualche dubbio su come trattare il teak? Non esitare a scriverci!

Learn more:

• FAO study “Teak resources and market assessment 2010” 

Bibliography:

• Dizionario dei materiali e dei prodotti, UTET
• Tecnologia del legno, G. Giordano, UTET