If you’ve eaten at an outdoor bistro before as most of us have, chances are that the furniture your using, the tables, the chairs are made of teak. Teak has always played an important part in history. From the incredible beams in the temples of India to the humble fisherman’s sampans in Burma, its importance and presence in our life cannot be understated.

Teak furniture is renown for their extrodinaruy durability. The naturally high oil content in the wood gives it a high strength to weight ratio and makes it weather-proof without any external varnish. Once the wood is throughly seasoned, it will not split or warp even in the most extreme of weather conditions. This attributes make it an extremely popular choice for luxury yachts and cruise vessels. Impervious to the moist air, salt and sand, its a natural choice for the suntanning chairs and ornate fittings on cruise vessels. In the past before the era of the Iron ships, teak used to a be very popular material of construction. It is easily worked and is relatively light for its strength. Ships from the early nineteen hundreds which are made of teak are often still in great condition today, shipshape and spry and as ready to sail as the day they were made.

Most furniture age badly when exposed to sunlight for long periods of time, they bleach and turn weird , in extreme cases they warp due to the extreme heat. Not teak, when “sunned” , teak furniture changes to a pleasing soft silvery gray, perfect for your bistro area chairs and if properly seasoned, the sun can shine all day long and it ain’t gonna care one bit, no warping no splitting no nothing.