Popular Patio Seating: Teak Garden Furniture

Everyone loves to have a beautiful garden. If you do have a beautiful one, you end up spending more time in the garden, truly enjoying the many wonders of mother nature. People who spend a lot of time in their gardens, naturally like to have the best furniture there. There is a whole range of garden furniture available which includes wicker, wrought iron, bamboo, plastic and different types of woods such as teak, oak, cedar etc. In fact a lot of people go in for teak garden furniture, since it has far more advantages than any of the others.

Some of these teak garden furniture choices are, tables, chairs, swings, garden benches, recliners, chaise lounges, sun umbrellas etc. All these are available in teak as well. People invest in teak garden furniture since amongst all hardwoods, its the most durable. And so despite the high costs associated with teak furniture, people don’t mind indulging on themselves. Really, this only adds value to your net worth in the end.

New trendy and stylish designs of teak garden furniture has come about, due to the high demand for teak garden furniture. Moreover due to this high demand, manufactures are cashing in on this and providing for customer’s personal choice. Customers inform manufacturers of their choice and manufacturers are creating individualized products as per customer’s requirements. This is a great benefit to customers who get exactly what they want in their teak garden furniture.

Choosing your teak garden furniture with care and creativity will help you in bringing out the best of you’re garden, since teak is associated with luxury, elegance and style. Craftsmanship in the intricate work on your teak garden furniture stands out. Another great thing about this furniture is that it does not require a lot of maintenance.

The beauty of you’re garden is enhanced, with tastefully created teak garden furniture. While outward beauty is essential, what is more important is the utility of the product. If you’re furniture is not comfortable, but looks great, there isn’t any need for it, is there? While choosing or designing you’re garden furniture this should be kept in mind. In addition, its important that you’re furniture is in sync with you’re house or garden. For example, you don’t want to have a Japanese garden and then have furniture designed for a country home. That would only make it look awkward. All these points need to be considered while making a decision to buy teak garden furniture.

By: John Stidolph

How to choose your garden furniture and make it last

Garden furniture is now a fashion item as the patio and garden increasingly become an additional functional space to the home.

Before you buy any garden furniture it is strongly recommended that you do some research. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of buying garden furniture that is right for you and will last you a long time. Following are some important tips you need to consider before you buy.

Firstly decide whether you want stackable or foldaway furniture that will be put away in the shed or garage in winter or if you want permanent solid garden furniture that remains in situ all year round. If you want your garden furniture to be a permanent part of your garden for esthetic reasons then it is recommended that you go for heavy furniture made from hardwood, aluminum or wrought iron with rust proofing. It is well worth spending the money on the heavier more durable materials as this will be much more cost effective in the long run.

Choosing the right type of material and construction is paramount. Decide what kind of material for your garden furniture would best compliment your patio or garden. Select a material that will stay in balance with your garden.

Wood is the best all round as it is lightweight, esthetically pleasing and comfortable but requires some maintenance. Choose a tropical hardwood which is high in natural oil content like teak, iroko or courbaril. These woods are weather resistant and can be left outside throughout the year.

Make sure that mortice and tenon joints are used for your teak garden furniture and not bolts which corrode. If any metal fittings are used in the construction make sure they are made from brass, stainless steel or aluminum which are corrosion resistant.

Make sure the construction is only premium grade teak for our garden furniture, so any knots, cracks and other defects are eliminated before the timber is used to build the furniture. Additionally, Make sure your teak garden furniture is kiln dried to optimise moisture content and ensure shape is maintained and cracks are eliminated.

Teak garden furniture that is assembled using epoxy based glues tend to have the best performance and durability of all the types of joints as the epoxy resin used will not be affected by rain or frost.

If your teak garden furniture becomes dirty it is easy to clean with warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush which will enable you to restore the beautiful silver grey weathered look. If required a pressure hose can be used at 60-80 bar [900-1200psi] at a distance of no less than 30cm.

Once your teak garden furniture has weathered the colour will be enhanced by an annual scrub. A small amount of bleach added to the water will suppress any algae growth.

Any stains and grease spots can be immediately removed by washing down using a light detergent then rinsing off with clean water as soon as they occur. However, this is not essential as nature will take its course over time.

In dry weather small cracks will appear in the end of the grain timbers. This is natural and no action needs to be taken as when the moisture in the atmosphere increases the timber will return to its original condition.

It is not necessary to use teak oil or varnish as these will not extend the life of your garden furniture and are purely cosmetic. However, if you wish to preserve the as new appearance of your teak garden furniture the application of teak oil when the furniture is new will give a more lustre finish than leaving untouched. Please ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions as usually this is a three stage process. Make sure the timber is completely dry when you apply the teak oil, otherwise the furniture will blacken.

Wrought iron garden furniture generally looks the best as it is usually hand crafted to give a unique look. The disadvantages of wrought iron furniture is that it is not as comfortable as wood and heavier to move around. Additionally, iron rusts so wrought iron garden furniture has to be especially coated to prevent it from rusting so make sure the supplier gives you at least a one year warranty against rust.

Finally, if you can, it is recommended that you invest in a cover for your garden furniture. Covers now come in all shapes and sizes and are well worth the money as they add years to the life of your garden furniture. Simply place the cover on your garden furniture every evening or when it rains, you will see the benefits in the long term.

By: Rami Nseir

A Guide To Garden Furniture

The general market for garden furniture is dominated by imports of finished and semi-assembled furniture sold mainly by major DIY and furniture outlets. Such garden furniture is decorative and very durable. There are many different types of cheap garden furniture including hardwood, teak, metal, cast iron and even sets that come with glass tables.

The French and German markets are two of the most significant in Europe for garden furniture, and both have shown steady growth over recent years. The fashion for dining or taking tea alfresco traveled easily to America, where garden furniture became a fixture of the landscape, just as it had in England.

The purchase of teak garden furniture is a true investment in value. Teak is an excellent choice for outdoor furniture as the wood ages beautifully and will give you outdoor living pleasure and years of enjoyment. Teak is an extremely dense-grained wood and is very resistant to rot, warping, shrinkage and swelling which makes it ideal for outdoor patio and garden furniture. You’d be best to choose your style of teak furniture carefully as your outdoor teak furniture will be around for many years. Most teak furniture owners will leave their teak furniture outside all year long as there is no reason not to, such is its resilience.

Indonesian teak is considered by many teak furniture manufacturers to be the highest quality of teak wood available in the world today. Teak furniture is generally all made with mortise and tendon joinery. This is a superior method of construction which results in more solid and durable pieces of furniture. Most manufacturers will also use solid brass castings, screws and bolts in the construction of their furniture, which adds that touch of class.

The highest quality teak furniture will also be fully machine made. Fully machine made teak garden furniture guarantees the owner will have more uniformity and a more perfectly finished product. Enjoy garden furniture that is solidly built, needs little maintenance, and will go on giving pleasure in your garden year after year.

When choosing your garden furniture, keep in mind the geographic location that you live in. If your are is prone to extremes of temperature, you will need to ensure your purchase will withstand these extremes.

An example of this is, where your summer temperatures reach very high levels, you may want to think twice about purchasing metallic garden furniture. There have been some nasty burns primarily caused through the hot sun on metal garden furniture.

If you have decided on wood furniture, again bear in mind the temperatures that the furniture will be exposed to. You will need a lot more resilience to extremes of temperature than if you live in a more temperate climate.

Keep in mind also what the primary use of the garden furniture will be. If you are wanting to dine outdoors, for example, you may want to look at a design that incorporates a lazy susan, or revolving center. This makes the outdoor dining experience a lot more pleasurable, especially if your table is large.

If you are all out entertainers, make sure your garden furniture is either equipped with plenty of seating, or alternatively at a later date you could add individual pieces to it. Extra chairs, footstools, loungers and the like are often part of a larger set of which the basic setting is your first purchase.

Also, beware of glass tables. If you are interested in a glass table, make sure you also purchase an umbrella that will cover the circumference of the table. This is mainly to avoid the problem of glare from the sun.

It does not matter what you choose, the age old adage of “you get what you pay for” applies equally to garden furniture. If you are wanting something to stand the test of time and climate, you will end up paying accordingly. Once again, decide the purpose of use for the garden furniture, and you will not be disappointed.
By: Sharron Nixon

A Guide to Materials Used in Garden Furniture

Garden furniture is available in a variety of materials, including Softwood, Hardwood, Cast Iron, Cast aluminium, and Wicker.

The choice of material will depend upon durability, finish, strength and personal preference.

Softwood furniture is generally made from Pine. It is cheap, cheerful and functional. It lacks strength and durability and will deteriorate after 3 or 4 years if not treated. It is high in maintenance and ideally, needs dry storage during the winter months.

There are a number of different hardwoods used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture. The most common include Yellow Balau, Eucalyptus, Meranti and Teak.

Teak.

The most durable and long lasting of all hardwoods, due to its high content of natural oils and rubber. Each piece of teak is kiln dried to less than 12% moisture content before being shaped and used to produce each piece of furniture. This prevents any changes in climatic conditions affecting the furniture when moved to different geographical areas. Every item is manufactured using traditional dowelled mortise and tenon joinery complimented with solid brass fittings and fixings. Naturally rich in oleoresin, teak is highly resistant to warping and rotting and will last for many years without any special treatment. However, after time, teak can show hairline cracks, especially in end grains. These are quite natural and do not detract from the wood’s strength or durability.

Our furniture is sold untreated in its natural state. The untreated timber is a very pleasant yellowy-brown olive colour when still fresh. The furniture is fine sanded so that it will have only the natural colour of the wood coupled with the raw natural texture of the teak grain.

If your furniture is to be used indoors, and away from a lot of natural sunlight, over a period of time, perhaps six months to a year, the wood will gradually become a darker shade of brown.

If the furniture is left outdoors, the effects of the suns rays will ‘bleach out’ the timbers natural colour, gradually turning it a soft silvery grey colour. This silvery grey ‘patina’, which develops over time, gives Teak Furniture a distinctive appearance. The silver grey colour resulting from this natural ageing process is considered to be very attractive, and allows the furniture to blend in well with many outdoor environments. Teak furniture left in this state is easily maintained, and needs no treatment whatsoever to give many years of service. And this is about as easy a maintenance schedule as its possible to get!

Yellow Balau

The appeal of Yellow Balau is its high density, fine graining and weight. The timber has a life span of 20-30 years. In comparison to other species, Yellow Balau has only a small tendency of warping or twisting and is therefore adaptable to weather change conditions.

Eucalyptus. T

he Eucalyptus Grandis timber exceeds the requirements of durability and weather resistance that is required from modern furniture. In fact Eucalyptus is as strong and as durable as teak, and on average it is from 10 to 20 percent denser. With its density, straight grain, smooth finish, and honey colour with subtle rose highlights, Eucalyptus is an excellent material to produce garden furniture. The Furniture is finished with a high quality penetrating oil, to give the wood hydro-repellent property along with fungus and insect resistance. The wood should not need to be treated again after purchase and will fade naturally over time and can be left outside over winter

Meranti

Meranti is kiln dried prior to use as an outdoor furniture material. As a natural resource it will, without ongoing maintenance, deteriorate on exposure to the elements. The grain on all hardwoods can open, or lift, causing slight roughness. Our recommendation is that although the timber is already treated, it should be given a further application of teak oil or hardwood protector on assembly, and then periodically. Even with careful maintenance, small cracks or splits can appear, and the grain can lift at any time. Although this should not affect the strength of the wood, we suggest that the timber is allowed to dry thoroughly and is then lightly sanded with glass paper before receiving an application of teak oil. Hardwoods can discolour in certain atmospheric conditions, and if you find this unacceptable, we suggest it is cleaned with warm soapy water, dried off and lightly sanded, before being given an application of a proprietary ‘hardwood protectors.’ (The type recommended for window frames and front doors.) These stains will colour and protect the timber, but still allow the grain to show through.

Meranti is one of the cheaper hardwoods currently available and is a very popular choice for budget hardwood furniture.

Cast Iron.

The appeal of cast iron furniture is that it is ornate and heavy. It will not be blown around even in the strongest of winds. It is suited to furniture pieces, which are intended to remain in one place. Most cast iron furniture is powder coated to protect from rusting and to make it aesthetically pleasing. However, if the powder coating gets scratched or chipped, maintenance is required without delay to avoid rusting. Few modern furniture designers’ work in cast iron but there is a lively trade in antiques and in reproductions of antique cast iron furniture designs.

Cast Aluminium.

This is an increasingly popular choice of material for outdoor furniture. It has many advantages over its rivals. It is lightweight yet sturdy enough to prevent it from being blown around. It is maintenance free. It will not rust even if the powder coating is damaged. It is easy to work with meaning that attractive styles and designs are available and affordable. Aluminium furniture can be welded or assembled but if assembly furniture is used, fixings should ideally be stainless steel.

Wicker.

Also known as rattan. This material is most commonly used for conservatory furniture but is also a popular choice for covered terraces and balconies. Wicker furniture should not be left outside in the rain although an imitation wicker is now available. Made from hand woven polyethylene, it looks just like the real thing and is weather resistant. This synthetic rattan/wicker is fade, UV and weather resistant which allows the furniture to be left outdoors in any weather. It is also resistant to insect, termite’s fungus and mould. However it is recommended that the furniture be stored away in the winter months or used with a furniture cover

By: Roger Wakefield

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