Natural wood furniture brings beauty to any home or patio. With its durable properties, natural beauty that comes in so many incredible colors, hardwood outdoor furniture is the only way to go.

For those who are considering furnishings for outdoor patios, the best option is teak hardwood. Teak has a beautiful honey-colored finish and is one of the most luscious and beautiful hardwoods available when it comes to outdoor furniture. And let’s face it, purchasing outdoor furniture is an investment, and the goal of any investment is to get the most out of that investment over time.

Teak wood is a little more expensive than other types of hardwoods, but there is a good reason for that. It is one of the most elegant and sturdy, resilient and durable hardwoods available on the planet.

So what is teakwood?

Teakwood is a beautiful tropical hardwood that comes from the Lamiaceae variety of trees, its formal name is Tectona Grandis. These trees are commonly found in mixed hardwood forests in places like Malaysia, India, and Indonesia as well as being cultivated and naturalized in countries in Africa and the Caribbean. The teak smells like leather when it has been newly milled, and its water resistance and durability make it the perfect wood for furniture, especially outdoor furniture.

Which is probably why it was used extensively for building ships by the Dutch just around the seventh century after they colonized Indonesia. Aside from being water resistant is highly resistant to dry-rot.

The teak’s heartwoods have a brownish-red color (think honey) that darkens a bit with age and the sapwood or the soft outer layers which are between the bark and the heartwood has a yellowish-brown to wheatish color. Because it has some unusual properties, like not being prone to shrinking that can be caused by exposure to changes in moisture, it is one of the finest woods for framing, planking, and other timber structures.

It is also incredibly easy to work with which makes it perfect for crafting some of the most amazing furniture pieces. In fact, back in the seventh century, it was the top wood used by the wealthy and powerful to build, decorate and furnish their lavish homes.

The best hardwood furniture crafted from teak comes from the matured trees, which means it can take about 80 years before a newly planted teak tree is ready to be harvested for its wood. For this reason, plantation grown teak is what is most commonly used to make all the beautiful teakwood furniture. Teak tree plantations were started and every tree that is cut down is immediately replaced with a newly planted tree.

Also since it can take close to 80 years before the teak tree is mature, old teak is very often salvaged from older structures set to be torn down and given newfound life by being crafted into furniture. Just another example of just how durable and long lasting teak wood truly is.

There are several great reasons for purchasing teak wood outdoor furniture. It is incredibly weather resistant and has the ability to stand up to all kind of weather. Because it is one of the very few woods that contain natural oils that actually repel water, furniture made of this tropical wood are highly resistant to cracking, warping or becoming brittle over time.

Teak outdoor furniture withstands the harshest effects of severe winter snow, hard rains and even the extreme heat of the sun during the summer months. This beautiful hardwood stays strong throughout every imaginable weather condition. In fact, most of the luxury ski lodges around the world have teakwood outdoor furniture because it has long-lasting beauty and durability.

If you live in an area where outdoor pests and bugs are a concern, teak is the perfect choice for your outdoor furniture because it is pest resistant! Those wonderful natural oils and resins that help to protect the wood from weather also repel pests like marine borers and termites. It creates beautiful outdoor furniture that termites will reject for their source of food.

Teakwood furniture is incredibly low maintenance when it comes to things like having to paint or varnish. Again because of the wood’s high natural oil content, teak outdoor furniture will never look black or patchy because it fades to an evenly gleaming beautiful silvery color. This is one hardwood you don’t have to paint or varnish – ever! But if you do want to highlight its beauty and keep that showroom shine, natural teak oil can be purchased from a local hardware store and applied when desired.

Tropical teakwood furniture will remain beautiful for a lifetime. When it is new it has that gorgeous honey-brown coloring and over time it ages naturally into having a luxurious gleaming grey color. Whether you decide to allow it to keep its aged grey sheen or you want to keep it looking like it did when you first bought it, the natural teak will compliment any outdoor space or patio with a touch of class.

You also will not have to worry about rust from any of the metal fittings used to construct your teak outdoor furniture. Unlike other types of wood, teak won’t start to deteriorate or rust when it comes into contact with the metal. Just another fabulous reason to invest in some beautiful teakwood furniture for that outdoor setting.

Unlike other types of outdoor furnishings made of wood, furniture crafted from the tropical teakwood will last a lifetime. Because it’s incredibly strong and durable it passes the test of time. You can find teak park benches in England that are centuries old that have been crafted from dismantled ships, which is a real provides some true to life evidence to the durability of this gorgeous hardwood. In fact, it’s probably the only outdoor furniture you can pass on to your grandchildren.

Solid Grade A teak wood furniture is really the only choice if you are looking for long-lasting, durable and beautiful outdoor furniture. Why even consider anything else?