What exactly is teak?
Teak comes from the deciduous tree Tectona Grandis, a species of wood native to the tropics. In Indonesia, teak is mainly planted teak. Teak wood in Indonesia was used for building houses and railway sleepers, among other things.
Teak wood is light brown to golden brown in colour and can darken under the influence of light, or outdoor furniture can turn grey.
Teak wood also has a specific smell that can be compared to dried leather.
Teak wood feels smooth and soft. This is due to the oily substances in teak wood.
Teak is durable, has little effect, is strong, is resistant to chemical products and, because of its beautiful appearance, is very suitable for making teak furniture, among other things.
The teak wood used for teak furniture is dried under controlled conditions in Indonesia. This is important because if teak is dried too quickly, the beautiful golden brown colour can be lost and the wood becomes dull and dead.
Thanks to J&E's years of experience, the furniture is produced in such a way that the wood can work without affecting the furniture's appearance.
The teak wood is dried in Indonesia in such a way that the teak furniture in the Netherlands has minimal working. Nevertheless, weather conditions, heating or sunlight may cause the furniture to work.
Teak wood is a natural product. Therefore, it is natural that teak wood may show knots and/or irregularities. This is typical of teak. There may also be repairs in the teak. This too is allowed. Because the teak furniture is made of recycled material, pieces of teak may deteriorate due to previous use. This is replaced in Indonesia by inserting pieces of teak. This is part of the recycled sustainable teak furniture.
Under the influence of light, humidity and temperature differences, teak may shrink slightly. This may cause small cracks in the teak wood. This is a natural process and not a bad thing. With changing conditions, the teak may even close again.
If cracks persist, they can be filled with liquid wood.
Teak comes from the tropics where there is high humidity. The teak furniture is dried in a controlled manner in Indonesia. Nevertheless, the humidity in teak may be higher than allowed. This may be due to transport, among other things. Condensation can form in a container, making the furniture more humid than allowed. In Europe, humidity is a lot lower, especially in European well-insulated houses with heating and air conditioning.
Suar wood
Suar wood comes from the tropical tree Saman Samanea. It is also called the Monkey pod or Rain Tree.
Suar is a fast growing tropical type of wood, it grows around 1.5 metres per year. The wood has a typical appearance of randomly entangled veins, this can cause beautiful colour shading and the wood is very strong.
The tree is characterised by an umbrella-shaped canopy and can grow up to 15 to 25 metres high.
Suar is not an endangered type of wood in Indonesia.
Because the Suar wood furniture is 8 to 10 cm thick and made in one piece, it is almost impossible that the wood will not work in the Netherlands. This is corresponding to the wood. This manifests itself in cracks in the wood. For large cracks this can be filled with liquid wood.
Given the low humidity in the Netherlands and especially in the winter, the wood will crack sooner than in the summer. This can already occur within a few weeks after delivery of the furniture.
