La Place USA Interiors carries the largest selection of teak outdoor furniture on the Gulf Coast. Only the highest quality materials are used. These include brass, stainless steel and, of course, the highest grade of teakwood available. Genuine Teak (Tectona Grandis) combines the quality of a rich and pleasing appearance with a durability that is unequaled by any other timber. Teakwood has a naturally high oil content which makes it both stable and resistant to rotting when exposed, over many years, to the extremes of both summer and winter weather. For several centuries these special qualities have made teakwood the preferred choice for marine decking and construction, and is the reason that it is today, the premium timber for outdoor furniture. Teak is a deciduous hardwood tree from the highlands of South East Asia, and does not come from tropical rainforests. As part of our commitment to protecting the environment and the need to sustain long term supply, we use teakwood from plantations on the island of Java. These plantations, created by the Dutch nearly two hundred years ago, are now owned and managed by the Indonesian Government.
Kinds of teak furniture
Teak Bar Stools,Teak Counter Stools and Teak Bar Tables and Teak Pub Tables in this section will add flair to all your outdoor events. These teak stools and tables offer an organic look that enhances the natural beauty of any garden or other outdoor setting. With several styles to choose from, our outdoor bar furniture offers something for everyone’s personal taste.
Teak Dining Tables and Dining Sets
In places and seasons where eating outdoors is common and pleasant, it is common to find wooden dining tables and chairs in gardens, backyards, deck areas, patios, pool yards and sun rooms. Teak is an excellent material for this application, because it will not be broken down in the sun like plastics, it is less prone to the elements like other woods, it is lighter and cooler than iron, and will not easily bend or break like tubular metals.Teak Bar Stools and Teak Counter Stools are also an excellent addition to your outdoor entertaining.
Teak Coffee Tables can be used with chairs or a benches.
Teak Benches
Benches are perhaps the most common use of teak other than marine applications. Found in parks and shopping districts, benches need to be weather resistant, which is why teak is a popular material for benches.
Teak Steamer Chair and Teak Steamer Lounge Chair
The sound of a summer breeze, the view of white caps sparkling during sunset, the cold thrill of an exotic cocktail. Need we say more? Our Teak Titanic Steamer Chair comes with brass hardware, reclines for extra comfort and folds for easy storage. As with all our merchandise, this chair is made from 100% teak, which provides it with greater durability than lesser woods.
Our teak steamer chair reclines in 5 positions and folds for easy storage. Compare our teak steamer lounge chair to others that are sold for many times our price. One of our all-time bestsellers, we have sold over 10,000 pieces to satisfied customers!
Folding Tables, Folding Arm Chairs and Folding Side Chairs.
Our collection of folding tables and folding sets combine the luxury of teak wood with its durability and weather-resistance to enhance any outdoor gathering. Tables are sold individually, but we also offer several different table sets that offer great value in both quality and price.
Teak Pool Loungers and Teak Chaises and Teak Lazy Chairs
Teak is popular for chaise loungers and other recumbent seating because it is more durable and better crafted than most plastic loungers and will not get hot in the sun like metal loungers. Since these chairs are heavy, they often have 2 or more wheels for easy transport from place to place.
Teak Adirondack Chairs
Adirondack chairs (also known as Muskoka chairs) are comfortable with their high backs, their contoured seats and their wide arm-rests. The arm-rests provide ample room for food and beverages for comfortable meals while reclining with no table required, making them popular with outdoor cafés and bistros as they offer seating and a small place for food without the need for a table.
Umbrellas
Teak is a popular and traditional wood for the frames of large umbrellas like shade umbrellas and market umbrellas. While teak provides the durability, weather resistance and lightness needed for such an application, metals like aluminum are definitely more popular and generally a cheaper choice
Deep seating
Known for large cushions and similarity to living room furniture, deep seating patio furniture is becoming more and more popular in places with warmer climates. With landscaping and outdoor décor being such a popular trend, furniture to sit in and enjoy the space has followed suit.
Caring for Teak Furniture
Staining and preserving
Teak does not need to be protected. It is a unique wood that if left in its natural state, is virtually maintenance-free. Teak can be left outside year round, surviving even the most extreme weather conditions. Therefore, teak is often considered the gold standard for outdoor furniture.
Over time untreated Teak furniture which is exposed to the sun will patina and turn a silvery, grey color. This process is cosmetic and does not harm the strength or quality of the wood.
Teak sealer is often recommended to preserve the natural honey color or to darken the color of the wood. Teak sealer contains UV protection to keep the sun from graying the furniture as well as a fungicide to prevent the growth of mold and mildew on the surface of your furniture. Teak sealers can be applied to new teak or old teak furniture after it has been cleaned. Sealer is not the same as varnish. It is meant to preserve the color of the wood and is breathable, letting the natural oils escape without bubbling or peeling like varnish. Sealers and preservatives serve both as protectants and stains. Generally, the darker the stain, the more sun protection it provides, and the less often it needs to be reapplied. For furniture with an ageing varnish that is peeling, cracking or bubbling, it is recommended that you sand this finish off and use a teak sealer or just let the teak stay bare.
Applying the preservative is straightforward. On the first application, the wood should be allowed to stand in the sun for a week or two to allow the wood grain to open. A coat of teak sealer should be sprayed on and rubbed in with a rag. Two coats should be applied in this manner, to all surfaces, top, bottom, sides and between any slats. The area underneath the furniture should be protected with a drop cloth or newsprint as most sealers will stain concrete. After the first application, teak sealer should be reapplied every year by cleaning the wood with mild detergent and water and spraying and rubbing in a coat only on the surfaces that get sun.
After the furniture is sealed, very little care is needed to preserve the finish. Occasional washing with soap and water will remove normal soil. Oils from foods, wine, coffee and some condiments will penetrate the sealer and may leave a stain. To avoid this, a teak clear coat can be applied to the table top to improve stain resistance.
Teak is protected by its own natural oils that migrate to the surface of the wood and make the wood virtually impervious to water. As such, the use of varnish, water sealers, and oil on Teak furniture is not recommended. Products such as varnish and polyurethane will peel and chip and are difficult to remove without vigorous sanding. Oiling teak will not prevent the wood from graying,and often results in mold and mildew growing on the furniture (which usually shows up as black dots or patches.) Removing mould and mildew on the surface will require washing the furniture with bleach and soap followed by sanding.
Restoration
To clean weathered teak, a two part cleaner consisting of a step involving a base such as caustic soda and a step involving an acid, such as phosphoric acid. This product is easy to use and will produce dramatic results. First remove the piece from any finished surface or remove any items that might be affected by the cleaning process. Teak cleaner will not hurt the lawn or fiberglass but it may damage painted surfaces or stain a patio, always wear rubber gloves and goggles when using this type of cleaner. Using a hose, wet the wood thoroughly. Open the applicator lid of the first cleaner. It is best to work on a small area at a time, overlapping each area and working from top to bottom, not allowing the cleaner to dry on the wood. Scrub the base with a Scotch Brite pad or a soft bristle brush, the wood will turn a deep brown color. Rinse thoroughly, then apply the acid to the same area and scrub in the same fashion, the wood will then turn much lighter. Finally rinse the area thoroughly with water, the teak should appear obviously lighter and cleaner, if any stains remain repeat the process. The wood will lighten further as it dries.
Teak cleaner will remove teak oils, food stains, the residue of varnish, and teak sealer. Any solid surface coating like varnish must be removed before using two-part cleaner. Never use a brass brush or a pressure washer to clean teak, these methods will scour the soft grain of the wood causing a rough and splintery surface. Never use steel wool to clean teak because it will produce rust spots in the wood. Brass wool is acceptable but a Scotch Brite Pad is the best tool to clean teak.
Once the gray pigmentation and stains are gone and the furniture piece is dry, sanding any roughness of the grain can make the furniture seem just like new again.
About Teak
The Teak Tree, or Tectona, is one of the tropical hardwood birches, included in the family Verbenaceae. This tree is originally from the plantations of South East Asia, and can grow to a height of 30 - 40 m. As part of its life cycle, this tree sheds its leaves every year at dry season. Its longevity is very great, the Teak tree often living to an age of 100 years. Teak is especially noted for its capacity to withstand changes in the weather and season. One of the reasons for this is the ability of the Teak to bend, but not break, in the face of high winds.
Also, the Teak tree resin typically has an oil in its Galih (Cambium/heartwood) that is highly water resistant. This content alone can protect the Teak from decay, insects, and bacteria. At the same time, the combination of unique Teak tree content and thick fibers make it easier to cut and then later sculpt into pleasing forms. Because of this special characteristic, not found in other trees, there has always been interest in using Teak wood for various types of furniture. The teak trees found in South-East Asia forests reach a height of up to 150 feet, have reddish-green leaves with rough skin, and heartwood that is brown to dark gold in color. Of the main teak producers in the area, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, Philippine, and Malaysia, Indonesia's teak is considered of the highest quality in the world.
Cultivation and conservation of the Teak tree in Indonesia is managed by the government of Indonesia, Perum Perhutani (Forestation Company of Government). The largest producer of teak in Indonesia is Java. Its geography and weather are highly suitable to Teak tree plantations; Java Island is also a manufacturing center where many furniture workers are employed to process the wood of the Teak tree into unique and beautiful furniture. To get teak wood of the highest quality, there are some things that must be carefully attended to in the retrieval process. The older Teak trees, of up to 40 years in age, are the best ones to be cut. In fact, the older the Teak tree, the better will be the quality of its wood. Before cutting the Teak tree, the water content must be drained from the tree by making a cut at its under side. This draining process takes time, 1 to 2 years, in order to get the Teak tree dry enough that it can be cut into Teak wood, and so ready for its main use as the material for furniture and other products.
In India, Teak wood, because of its durability, is used - in addition to its use in furniture and other products - in the production of door and window frames. In Denmark, noted the world over for the stylishness and practicality of its furniture products - with teak, once again, as the main material - because of the increasing demand, and decreasing supply, the price of their furniture products has greatly increased - while in Indonesia, Teak wood is exported abroad and also used as the main material for furniture.
Teak Aesthetics And Characteristics
The most salient characteristic of Teak is its resistance to all kinds of weather. Because of this, it is also resistant to decay and easily repels insects. This is one of the reasons that, unlike other woods, it is often used as the main material for both indoor and outdoor furniture. Teak wood holds its form over many years, even if left outside, and because of this it has often been used for the decking of ships - with its special aroma, cruise ships in particular.
Other characteristics of teak are its elasticity and solid fiber, both of which facilitate woodworking and the ability of woodworkers to create products, such as our own at GiantChess.com, that are both beautiful and durable.
Another reason for the beauty of teak wood products is the special oil content in its heartwood, which makes this wood always seen to gleam - maintaining this glow even if it is left outside for a long period of time. Additionally, Teak wood with its antibacterial characteristics will not become brittle. The owner of teakwood furniture, therefore, will not even find it necessarily to add a preservative to keep it looking like new. Even so, it can occasionally benefit from some polishing, or the application of some varnish, to enhance its natural beauty.
Teak Wood In The World View
Through much of recorded history Teak wood has been relied upon and trusted for its uncommon strength. This wood is highly prized by lovers and collectors of furniture the world over. Because of it's rareness and the limited supply of teak in the world, teak is increasingly being sought after and its price increasing. The reputation of Teak throughout the whole world in producing furniture of the highest quality has, however, never faltered.
Indonesia, as the biggest teak supplier in the world, is very committed to preserving the Teak tree through both practical and visionary government programs. It is only through Perum Perhutani (Forestation Company of Government) that Indonesia can supply Teak wood for export. Not only this, but because of the skill of our woodworkers and artisans, Indonesia produces some of the most unique and interesting furniture products to be found anywhere in the world.
Furniture hunters the world over immediately recognize the characteristics of teak, and always stop to look at Indonesian teak products, so reflective of our history and culture. The demand for this Teak wood has increased so much that the Indonesian government has been forced to implement a plantation program entailing the cultivation, use, and protection of our Teak trees.
This is because the teak is a perennial plant, and of great importance to the economy of Indonesia. Construction material and furniture that comes from Indonesian teak wood each have their own increasing market, as well as increasing value. Generally, Teak trees are harvested only after they have reached ten years; although new technology has yielded certain Teak types called 'Jati Genjah' (Fast Growing) that are also of excellent quality.This will help Indonesia to continue to be the preeminent supplier of teak in the world.
The strength and beauty of its fiber is the primary reason that Teak wood continues to be a main choice for furniture material. The desire for Teak products is increasing, both in our country and also abroad, but the supply is not keeping up because the growth cycle of the conventional Teak tree is long. In fact, as the supply diminishes the desirability for Teak products that have already been produced, often considered as collectibles, and Teak products that are still being produced, as by companies such as ours at GiantChess, com, continues to grow.
Giantchess.com applies formally to Perum Perhutani for its teak material, which is from the teaks that are planted for "wooding up" in the plantations. Perum Perhutani sees that a cultivation of seeding is done every year to replace the big Teak trees which have been chosen to be cut.