TEAK FURNITURE IS DURABLE, EASY-CARE - AND NO DANGER TO THE RAIN FOREST

Many people buy teak furniture. The three basic reasons are: our innate affinity with nature, the durability of teak and the ease of care.

There is a strong wave of appreciation for the natural beauty of the Earth right now. Teak seems to fit into this niche quite well; it brings nature into our homes in a useful and practical way.Teak is a very hard, closely grained wood extremely high in natural oils. These properties help maintain this wood's endurance. If properly made, teak furniture will not warp, rot, split or crack. Teak furniture can be more than 50 years old and still not show signs of aging.

The ecology-minded also will be interested to know that the teak wood to specify when buying furniture is Indonesian teak. Why? In Indonesia there are teak plantations strictly managed by the government to harvest this wood for the sole purpose of manufacturing. In no way does the use of this wood interfere with or damage Indonesia's rain forest.

The Rain Forest Alliance and Friends of the Earth both certify teak products from Indonesia - but from nowhere else.

Besides buying the wood from Indonesia you might want to ask whether the furniture was also made there. One reason is that the Indonesians are renowned craftsmen. Another is a significant cost advantage as labor is less expensive and the export tariff on raw teak is very high.

If you are buying this teak for outdoor use, you can be assured that it will withstand the elements with grace. As a matter of fact, often the only way you can tell an old piece of teak furniture from a new one is that the older furniture will have turned a silver-gray and the new one will be a honey tone. But if you want to fool Mother Nature (and your friends and neighbors) you can preserve that honey color with one of several products on the market.