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HOW
TO TELL IF TEAK WOOD IS GENUINE
Since
ancient Latin and Roman times, the phase,
"Let the buyer beware,” has been used.
When you are purchasing teak wood
furniture, you must always be aware of what you
are buying.
When you purchase “Genuine” teak wood,
you can take it home, place it outside, and
never worry about the weather damaging it, nor
will you have to worry about much upkeep in
order to use it during the spring, summer, and
well into the fall.
However, if you purchase outdoor
furniture, which is, “better" than teak wood or
“teak oiled," there is no guarantee this
product will be undamaged by the weather or by
insects.
There
are numerous outlets that use the phases “Teak
oiled wood furniture,” to sell wood outdoor
furniture.
What this phase, "Teak oiled,”
means is that the wood has been treated with
Teak oil and that the wood may NOT be actual
teak wood.
Wood treated with teak oil must be
retreated periodically in order to maintain the
protection, as the teak oil will wear away over
a period of time.
In addition, consumers must understand
that this teak oiled furniture is not teak wood.
This is very important as many purchase
teak oiled wood assuming that it is real teak
wood.
Many times this assumption is due to
misinformation on the part of the consumer as
well as false information provided by the
seller.
The
primary reason for this problem is that we all
are searching for, and, want a great deal.
We all want to pay less for top quality
products, unfortunately, it is this desire,
which usually leads many of us to be fooled or
taken.
It is because of this why every consumer
must do research so that they can guarantee that
they are purchasing the correct item and not
being taken advantage.
Another
very popular phase or description that you may
see is "Teak like" furniture.
Genuine Teak wood contains a high content of
silica, which enables the wood to weather the
elements approximately 75 to 100 years when left
outdoors in the elements.
When
you are purchasing and shopping for teak wood
make sure, you read the descriptions of products
listed on any website as well as any product you
may see in stores.
Many times when you see a store or
website advertise “Can’t Miss Deals,”
“Great Deals,” or “Unbelievable
Prices,” this furniture is not made from Teak,
but from wood called Nyatoh.
Nyatoh is a hardwood, but Nyatoh is not
as hard or as durable as Teak.
In addition, most of the furniture that
is sold as “Great Prices” or Teak-like wood
has been made from sapwood, and not from dried
heartwood.
Sadly, when Nyatoh dries, it sometimes
has the tendency to end split and warp.
Nyatoh also has a very low resistance to
termites.
It
is the hopes of many marketers’ that consumers
do not research the products they are interested
in purchasing and therefore can easily be fooled
into purchasing an inferior product.
Advertisers are masters of the art of
spinning to make the buying public believe they
are getting more for their money.
You can find this “Teak like wood” at
many popular chain department stores, Internet
sites and even in grocery and drugstores.
Nyatoh
wood is not Teak like.
To start with, Nyatoh wood is a Class 3
wood; it is not durable, has a very low
resistance to termites, and is subject to
attacks by powder-post beetles.
Other woods that have the same
characteristics as Nyatoh include American
Cherry, African mahogany, Japanese Oak, Southern
White Pine, American Walnut, and Western Red
Cedar.
Teakwood
is a Class 1 wood.
This means that it is extremely durable,
resistant to insects including termites and
powder-post beetles, and is also resistant to
warping.
Woods that have similar characteristics
as Teak include Ebony, Iroka, Makore, and Opepe.
Other
differences between Nyatoh wood and teak wood,
are that Nyatoh wood has to be protected with
oil, as it does not contain the silica that teak
wood has.
Nyatoh wood products if placed outdoors
must be treated yearly and in some instances
twice a year in order to maintain any level of
protection from the elements.
If placed outdoors, the joints of Nyatoh
wood furniture must be sufficiently oiled in
order to ensure that water, trapped in the
joints of this furniture does not rot the wood.
Teakwood contains a high concentration of
silica, allowing the wood to weather the
elements.
There are teak benches that are reported
to be over 100 years old that have been left
outdoors in the elements all this time that are
still in use today.
If
you plan to use the furniture in a Solarium,
sunroom or on an enclosed, covered porch, then
Nyatoh wood furniture would be beautiful as it
has been fashioned in very similar styles as
that of high quality teak wood furniture.
In addition, if you are on a limited
budget and cannot afford teak wood, Nyatoh is a
very affordable option.
However, you must keep in mind that you
are not purchasing teak wood and that Nyatoh
must be oiled in order to protect it from the
elements.
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