If you are deciding what type of furniture to have in your home or garden, you may have thought that you want the best. In the minds of many that means teak wood. But how do you know if a piece of furniture is really a teak piece of furniture?
Since teak wood is a very expensive wood, there are some unscrupulous people who would try to pass off other furniture as teak, in an effort to take your money. Therefore, it is important that you know the difference between real and fake teak furniture before making a purchase.
the teak feel
The first thing to know about teak wood is that it doesn’t feel like other woods. Sure, it’s as hard as wood, but once you get your hand on teak, you can tell the difference between it and other types of wood. The most obvious difference is that, unlike other woods, teak does not splinter. If you run your hands across the surface of a piece of wood, you should be able to quickly tell if it’s fake. The first splinter you get in your hand will be a quick indication.
the smell of teak
The next thing that can help you tell if a piece of furniture is real teak or not is the smell. Many things have a different smell. The leather in a new car is a good example of one of those smells that you know is real as soon as it hits your nose. In the case of teak furniture, you will notice a very light fragrant smell coming from the wood. It’s an earthy smell, but different from other freshly cut wood. Teak gets this smell from oils that are heavily embedded in the wood.
teak color
Teak wood differs from other woods in that it can change substantially in appearance over time. Most woods change as they age only if you offer an external stimulus. For example, a dark wood can lighten if you leave it in the sun day after day. It is not that the wood changes on its own, but rather that the sun’s rays have a bleaching effect on the wood.
Teak is different. No matter what kind of environment you have it in, teak will change color, unless you stop it. If left in the sun, the colors of the teak wood will change from soft browns and oranges to silvers and whites, much in the same way that a person might have white hairs as they age. On the other hand, teak left in the shade or kept indoors will turn darker browns and oranges over time. Either way, you should be able to identify teak wood by the beautiful wood grain.
Typically, a manufacturer’s teak furniture is what it says it is, but if you’re looking to buy from a private sale or antique store, it’s best to know the characteristics of the wood to ensure you’re buying the real thing.
