Interior Design & Decor

In my twenty years or so of owning a house, I have gone through several patio furniture sets. My first one was a standard picnic table with attached benches made of red cedar. It was functional and cheap and served us well at the time. But it had its drawbacks. Within a month or so the top became very grainy, and later developed deep grooves. Then it started to turn from a pleasant red to an unattractive dark grey. And, of course, it was uncomfortable because of the utilitarian design. The table and benches started moving, and I added a few more bolts. By year three or so I gave up. We had trouble even getting rid of it in the trash.  My second set was made of wrought iron. A beautiful table with a glass top, and some chairs to match. The chairs had a wrought iron lattice and outdoor cushions. Generally this set was far more usable than our first picnic table. The chairs were heavy and a pain to move, but they worked. Then one of the legs on a chair gave way. Now I found that this was much more difficult to fix than a wooden chair.  Around that time, I visited Indonesia and saw some teak furniture at a friends house. Apparently the bench had been in their family for generations. It was somewhat worn and rounded where people constantly sat. It felt good. My friend told me that one had to be careful buying teak, since they now had many qualities. Also he recommended that I buy something in the US itself, because it would cost more than the bench to ship, and he had heard that if the bench was not properly “processed” it would crack in the US. He could not give me more detail, and I did not know what he was talking about. I came back to the US and did some  research on teak. I found that teak is a great wood for outdoor use since it has natural oils that make  it weather and salt water resistant. It also has some natural insect resistance. And it is very tight grained – which means it will not splinter (that is why it is used on the decks of boats). All in all teak seemed to be a great wood for any furniture, but particularly outdoor furniture.  I thought I would buy a teak bench, and went to my local retailer. The prices just floored me. The guy told me that he had some fine brands, and they were all Grade A quality. I decided his teak was a little pricey and started to search on the internet, where  I found a whole range of prices. Confusing.  It turns out that you can get a whole range of grades. Grade A is the best, but you can get Grade B and Grade C teak. Also I learned about the “process” my Indonesian friend had talked about. This is kiln drying. If the teak wood is not properly kiln dried, it will crack.   And I learned about manufacture. You can get cottage industry made teak furniture, or you can get factory made teak furniture. The cottage industry made teak furniture is generally shipped assembled, because the carpenters “make it fit” by compensating for various imperfections during assembly and the wood is not kiln dried at all. The piece is sold fully assembled. The machine made teak furniture generally comes in “flat pack assembly” (which is large sections that need assembly), or in kits. Machine made teak furniture manufacturers offer a better warranty, because they can swap out damaged pieces easily. But machine made teak furniture is more expensive than the cottage industry kind.  So to buy a good piece of teak patio furniture, one should have Grade A teak wood, kiln drying, and machine manufacture.  I narrowed down my search. Even in this category, I found a range of prices. Further research showed that every company’s price depended on a few things. A retailer may  marked up by 100% or more from his wholesale price. So that would be expensive. On the internet stores, I found that there were a few direct importers, and each had their own price point, depending on their mark up, overhead etc.  From all my potential teak patio furniture vendors,  I found that www.Goldenteak.com had the best price for the quality at the time of my purchase. Goldenteak offered Grade A teak furniture that was machine made and kiln dried. They had a good selection of pieces and offered a lifetime warranty. And they were pleasant to deal with.  I have since purchased from Goldenteak, and am very pleased with the quality. But I am more pleased with my choice of teak wood for my patio furniture. I don’t do anything to it. It is easy to move. The chairs are very comfortable. I also enjoy knowing that I am helping the  environment by not using plastic, or even a complex process and paint for my furniture.  I have had my teak furniture for the last twelve years. It has not changed, but I have. I think it will outlast me. My new philosophy – buy once, buy right.