Choosing the best wood for your outdoor furniture

About woods for outdoor furniture

Many different types of woods are used in the outdoor furniture industry. Criteria to decide on the best quality and durability usually include the resistance to climate, insects, sun, salt, drying process or chemical treatment. Origin and quality will also determine the price. Today many manufacturers also look into the sustainability of the essences, the way it is cultivated, the respect for environmental norms.  Here, we go through the 4 main types used in the outdoor furniture industry, eucalyptus, Iroko, Mahogany and our favorite wood, teak.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is an Australian wood but it can also be found in North and South America. It is reddish-brown, resistant and durable. However, the wood shrinks easily and needs treatment on a regular basis, as well as covering to be protected. It is used for outdoor furniture, flooring, fences posts and poles. It is a cheaper alternative to teak, but teak is more durable and long-lasting.

Iroko

Iroko, also known by its scientific name Milicia excelsa and its botanical name Chlorophora excelsa, is an African wood. It is usually called African or Nigerian teak and sometimes “poor man’s teak” due to its similarities with the teak. However, the Iroko is not related to the teak family. Iroko has many other trade names such as kambala, odum, Moreira and mvule.

Iroko is a tough hardwood that has many properties such as strength, hardness, and resistance. It is durable and resistant but not as resistant as teak. Iroko is considered a low-cost alternative to Burmese teak, but is still more expensive than Indonesian teak. It is tough and dense and resembles teak in colour and grain. Its colour varies from golden brown to dark brown and tends to darken with age.

Iroko is commonly used for veneer, flooring, furniture, cabinetry, decking and boatbuilding. It has also been reported as a sensitizer because it can cause eye, skin, and respiratory irritation. It can also cause asthma-like symptoms, boils, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Mahogany

Mahogany, also known by its Latin name Swietenia macrophylla, is a hardwood that grows in North, South and Central America. It is part of the Meliaceae family. It was formerly known as Acajou under the French colonies and as Coaba in Spanish territories. There are six main types of mahogany wood: African mahogany, mountain mahogany, Santos mahogany, Cuban mahogany, Honduran mahogany and swamp mahogany.

Mahogany is very famous for its warm reddish-brown tone. It is considered one of the most luxurious tropical woods and is very valuable, although it’s definitely not the perfect wood for outdoor. While mahogany has great insect resistance, it does not resist long when left in direct sunlight. It will lead to color fading and your beautiful furniture will turn into a sad silvery gray.

Mahogany is commonly used for furniture, flooring veneers, musical instruments, interior trim, boatbuilding and cabinetry. At SIMEXA, we do not recommend mahogany wood for outdoor furniture.

Teak

Teak, also known by its scientific name Tectona grandis, is a hardwood that grows in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It belongs to the family of flowering plants Lamiaceae. Teak has a beautiful golden colour. It is known for its incredible durability, resistance and it is coveted for its strength. It is considered to be the “king of wood”.

Teak is dense and its naturally occurring rubber and oils prevent moisture, insects and color decay caused by long exposure under the sun.

Teak furniture is the most durable furniture one can own, it doesn’t need treatment and can last for decades, with minor maintenance. It is highly resistant to rotting, warping and cracking. Teak can seem expensive, but there is no other wood with the same unique characteristics. SIMEXA’s favorite teak wood comes from Indonesia. The furniture industry also uses Chinese teak wood, African teak wood and many more types of teak wood. The Burmese teak wood, although of great quality, has a very limited supply, its exploitation being highly regulated for environmental reasons.

The types of teak wood vary with the grades.

• Grade A teak is the best and most expensive one because of its perfect quality, absence of knots, perfect resistance to the elements and homogeneous golden color.
• Grade B teak is cheaper than Grade A teak, but it needs certain protective treatments. It has minor knots and small differences in colors that can be unified with chemical treatment
• Grade C teak is an inferior quality of teak that can be damaged easily. It is used for joinery when a producer is trying to minimize their production cost and inflate profits. Grade C can sometimes have 3 or 4 different colors or hues which makes it less desirable than the others.

If Burma teak is considered the best quality, SIMEXA’s Indonesian teak is second best and it is very similar to Burma teak. As for the Chinese teak wood, it is not real teak wood but it looks very similar to it. Teak wood is commonly used for ship and boatbuilding, veneer, furniture, exterior construction and carvings.

Takeaways

• Wood furniture really makes a difference in terms of comfort, atmosphere and design
• Decide on your type of wood by looking into durability, resistance to climate, insects and storage space
• Origin, sustainability, respect of the environment and natural treatment are essential criteria that professional use today to decide on their wooden furniture
• Many woods are used by the outdoor furniture industry, but at SIMEXA, we believe that Indonesian teak is definitely the best choice