Of all woods, teak is one of the longest lasting varieties. That makes it great for garden furniture sets and other outdoor uses. Exactly how long it lasts depends on a number of factors. Probably the most important is climate- the UK is a cool, wet environment and wooden garden furniture can expect to be exposed to rain frequently, and also sometimes frost. It never really gets that hot compared to some other places around the globe.
The best and most ethical raw materials for teak garden furniture come from renewable plantations in Indonesia and Thailand, not from logged rainforest. While those plantations are typically a little drier than native teak forest, they are still very wet by most standards. The climate in Indonesia is monsoonal, which means that instead of four seasons to the year there are locally considered to be two: the wet and the dry. The dry season is cooler and is the tropical equivalent of winter. The wet season is very hot, very humid, and very wet. It is not uncommon for rainforest areas to get more than 4 metres of rain per year. Average day time temperatures are often well into the mid 30s, centigrade.
Obviously those are pretty harsh conditions for wooden materials. From time to time in the UK some people experience problems with doorsteps and windowsills warping with changes in the weather- the problem is magnified many times over in the tropics where extreme temperatures and humidities are common. As you can imagine, it’s also extremely difficult to avoid wood going rotten too.
For thousands of years, teak has been used to build temples, palaces, and high status buildings across south east Asia. Many of these ancient structures are still standing, and in them you can find furniture, richly ornamental window sills, and features constructed from solid teak that have lasted for centuries and show little sign of decay.
Teak is a beautiful wood and one of the most durable building materials to make garden furniture sets from. If it can last in the tropics, the UK should present no problems!
