by: Malcolm D Kay
Not too long ago, the vast majority of outdoor furniture was all made of teak. Teak has proved to be an ideal lumber species for outdoor furniture, due to its high durability, ease of working with machine tools, its low coefficient of radial and tangential expansion (which reduces potential problems in twisting, or swelling when wet), it's attractive colour and good working properties.
But such widespread use of teak, including for marine decking, has come at a considerable environmental cost.
The once great forests of South East Asia have been decimated to the extent that legally logged teak is now only available in very limited quantities, which is reflected in its high price.
But unfortunately, illegal logging is still rampant and in many areas of South East Asia, ensuring its continuing supply to the furniture trade.
Plantations of teak have now been established in a number of countries including Costa Rica for example (presumably planted in most cases where the great forests once existed). But this plantation teak is harvested at a much younger age that has traditionally been the case, so caution should be taken in assuming that the properties of such younger lumber (including durability) will be the same as old growth teak.
Many responsible furniture manufacturers will now only used teak which has been certified by such independent bodies as the Forest Stewardship Council.
If sustainability of forests and sound forestry practices are an important consideration in your choice of furniture, then look for the FSC logo or ask your retailer to provide documentation to show from where the lumber was sourced. Note however that even if the
tag accompanying any wood furniture claims that the wood is sourced from sustainable forests, unfortunately there is no firm guarantee that this is true.
You may be able to make some verification by checking the FSC website, which indicates which companies and even manufacturers have been given official accreditation by the FSC.
In recent years there has been a proliferation of different lumber species used in outdoor furniture as more manufacturing plants are set up in places such as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, in particular.
Unfortunately, a lot of furniture is now produced with price as the overriding consideration, with scant consideration being given to the durability or in service performance of the furniture. And all too often these days the name of the actual wood species in not even displayed ? except perhaps a bland statement like ?manufactured from durable hardwood species?. And of course a lot of lumber is transported to furniture makers located far from the original source of the lumber, making it even harder to track the actual supply country or region.
Thus there is often no guarantee that the furniture, which may look magnificent in a covered showroom, will survive the rigours of outdoor use, year after year, fully exposed to the elements.
Apart from the failure to state what timber species has been used, sometimes a wood species is quoted which is virtually unknown outside its country of origin and data on its durability or other properties is either nonexistent or extremely difficult to locate.
Although we have only referred above to the durability factor, this not the only property you should be concerned with. Many species of lumber, although very durable, are also prone to twisting, warping and cracking under adverse climatic conditions, particularly where thin wood section are concerned. Again teak has proved to be a very stable species in this regard but other species are not necessarily so stable.
Whilst the lower costs and attractive colour of some outdoor furniture can certainly be appealing, we strongly suggest you should always ask your retailer to provide the name of the lumber species used and from which country it was sourced.
If this species is not familiar to you, no other data is provided, and your independent research fails to locate data on such species, you should think carefully before making your purchase..
Good quality outdoor furniture should give many, many years of service and its higher initial cost will inevitably be repaid in terms of a longer service life and a much higher quality product.
About The Author
Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For more information see http://www.swiftdeck.com.
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How To Choose Your Garden Furniture And Make It Last
How To Choose Your Garden Furniture And Make It Last
by: Angus Charlton
Garden furniture is now a fashion item as the patio and garden increasingly become an additional functional space to the home.
Before you buy any garden furniture it is strongly recommended that you do some research. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of buying garden furniture that is right for you and will last you a long time. Following are some important tips you need to consider before you buy.
Firstly decide whether you want stackable or foldaway furniture that will be put away in the shed or garage in winter or if you want permanent solid garden furniture that remains in situ all year round. If you want your garden furniture to be a permanent part of your garden for esthetic reasons then it is recommended that you go for heavy furniture made from hardwood, aluminum or wrought iron with rust proofing. It is well worth spending the money on the heavier...
How To Choose Your Garden Furniture And Make It Last
Furniture > How To Choose Your Garden Furniture And Make It Last
Feng Shui Your Workspace with Natural Rattan Furniture
Feng Shui Your Workspace with Natural Rattan Furniture
by: Lee Rubenstein
Did you know that rattan furniture for your office can help you increase your fortune and build up positive energy?
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese belief that your environment has a direct effect on your inner self.
By harmoninizing the areas that you spend the most time in you can become more focused, more effective, and more successful.
Rattan furniture is a powerful way to apply the principles of Feng Shui to your workplace, one of the places where you surely spend a lot of time.
Tropical office furniture exemplifies the principles of beauty and simplicity and represents one of the five elements used in Feng Shui - wood.
Feng Shui maintains that an area has the most positive energy when all five of the elements are present:
wood, fire, wind, water, and metal.
Rattan furniture is a natural way to include the wood...
Furniture > Feng Shui Your Workspace with Natural Rattan Furniture
Hardwood Floors For Interior Design And For Home Decorating
Hardwood Floors For Interior Design And For Home Decorating
by: Matthew Anderson
Using hardwood floors for interior design and for home decorating, based on furniture of the eighteenth century may be discussed from different points of view. However, what most people realize is the distinguish details of tables made from that century. Dinner and wine tables were some of those pieces of furniture that could add a different touch of class to your interior decorating. Learn from the history of furniture book, by Frederick Litchfield ideas on how 18th century furniture, from the earliest to the present time.
To the latter part of the eighteenth century the English furniture of which time has been discussed on the site belong the quaint little "urn stands" which were made to hold the urn with boiling water, while the tea pot was placed on the little slide which is drawn out from underneath the table top. In those days tea was an expensive luxury,...
Hardwood Floors For Interior Design And For Home Decorating
Furniture > Hardwood Floors For Interior Design And For Home Decorating
Restaurant Furniture In Your Home
Restaurant Furniture In Your Home
by: Bob Benson
There?s a certain degree of nostalgia associated with booths from old diners and tables from old soda shops. They just give the aura of ?good old days.? If you dare to be different, you can bring those good old days back and incorporate them into your home d?cor by using restaurant furniture in your home.
Think how much fun it would be to have breakfast at a diner every morning. It can happen if you put a booth in your breakfast nook or dining area. Every lunch or dinner would be like a blue plate special! Or, treat your kids and their friends to banana splits and milk shakes at tables reminiscent of an old soda shop.
So you?re willing ? but how do you go about finding such treasures? You could pay someone to custom design them for you. But where?s the fun in that? You could use an on line search in your quest by using key words like ?used restaurant furniture? or ?restaurant furniture....
Restaurant Furniture In Your Home
Furniture > Restaurant Furniture In Your Home
Find Cool Teen Furniture your Teen will use and Like
Find Cool Teen Furniture your Teen will use and Like
by: Michael Holland
You will find that when it comes to teen furniture there are a number of excellent items available that will not only adequately hold your teens stuff, but also can match the theme or d?cor of their room.
There are many great teen furniture ideas waiting you online at great internet stores like www.yourkidsdirect.com and www.stacksandstacks.com.
There are some aspects you will need to keep in mind when selecting teen furniture and include:
* Budget: how much you want to spend
* Room size:
measure your teen?s room before you purchase anything, as you will not want to cram the room too tightly with objects, making it difficult for your teen to move around.
* Room Theme:
Are there any teen furniture items that...
Furniture > Find Cool Teen Furniture your Teen will use and Like
online degree Furniture Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Science Homework? Speed Up Your Progress Online!
Science Homework? Speed Up Your Progress Online!
by: Katie Robbins
For your semester project you are required to write a biography about Albert Einstein. You need to explore his scientific achievements. Thankfully, your teacher is not making you provide the rational behind Einstein's E=MC2 equation, but you are expected to write a thorough paper about Albert Einstein. Where do you begin? Your text book only provides a few paragraphs on Einstein. The library...
Science Homework? Speed Up Your Progress Online! online degree Furniture
Furniture > Science Homework? Speed Up Your Progress Online!
Furniture
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