Tips for Choosing a Gorgeous Teak Dining Table

If you’re looking for a dining table that is truly unique, consider a teak dining table. Teak is such a versatile wood, making it suitable for various styles of furniture, as well as various placements inside and outside. With some research, you can find your ideal teak table and ensure that it lasts for decades to come!

Whether you want a rustic look, a vintage or French country feel, or even a modern, Scandinavian motif, you can find a teak dining table in your coveted décor. Made of solid teak wood, a teak dining table is sturdy, yet graceful. It’s teak’s versatility that makes it so easy to use in or out of doors. Inside your home, teak is a perfectly beautiful and durable choice, especially in your dining room, kitchen, Florida room, or sunroom. Outdoors, teak has a long history of standing proud and relatively unblemished in people’s screened porches and patio areas. This is because of teak’s naturally high content of rubber and oils—they create an all-natural weatherproofing that protects the wood against rot, insect infestation, and water damage, so that the wood can survive many years of life outside.

Even with all of teak’s natural advantages, you want to research and consider a few points prior to buying your teak dining table. The first, of course, is price. Those wonderful advantages of teak also make it a more expensive material. Give some thought to your plans for the foreseeable future and your habits: do you frequently move residences? Are you someone who redecorates regularly? If your answer is yes to either or both of these, then you’ll want to consider your plans in conjunction with the price of a teak table before making that financial investment.  A second point to consider is the source of the teak you plan to purchase. In recent decades, deforestation has been rampant across southern Asia due to the high demand for teak. This has led to exploitation of the local people and devastating consequences for local ecosystems. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of teak plantations that focus on growing and harvesting the teak using completely sustainable practices.

Look teak furniture that is FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council); such designation means that the plantation follows strict guidelines for respecting the local ecosystems and native peoples, in addition to having environmentally sound farming practices. Thirdly, you’ll want to ponder the type of finish you desire for your teak, which typically comes in unfinished aka natural, pre-weathered, and sealed wood. While natural or unfinished teak will turn gray or silver within a few months of purchase, pre-weathered teak has already established this look, making your choices in accessories a bit easier because the color of the pre-weathered wood will not change. If you want that classic, golden brown wood look, buy sealed teak or seal it yourself. Just be aware that outdoors the seal will breakdown over time and need resealing. Whichever way you go with your teak, be sure to purchase all your coordinating furnishings at the same time and with the same type of finish (or lack thereof) so that they are the same color. Teak is truly a uniquely gorgeous wood for your dining table. With careful planning, you’ll have a beautiful teak dining table for decades to come!