Teak Furniture - How to Care for it Properly

Many finer homes and businesses feature beautiful indoor and outdoor furniture made from teak. Although the obvious reason is the beauty that comes from teak, there are many benefits to choosing this type of wood. Saturated with natural oils required to survive the rainforest where teak grows, this wood is naturally resistant to rot, insects, and outdoor elements. Therefore, while the price of teak furniture is generally a little more than you would pay for cedar, redwood, or oak, the fact that teak furniture is strong and durable, it is money well spent.

However, because you will spend more for quality teak furniture, it is important to know how to care for your teak furniture to enhance its beauty and help it last even longer than normal. Keep in mind that the nice thing about teak is that it can be made for both indoor and outdoor furniture. Regardless of where the teak furniture is placed, you can be sure it will look stunning and complement any home or patio.

The key with teak furniture is to use products that will bring out its natural color. Since teak varies from a blonde to golden amber to a rich, warm caramel, choosing the right product is important. Unfortunately, even with teak, if any wood furniture is left outdoors without being treated, it will battle the elements. The advantage of choosing teak furniture is that it has the ability to fight a little harder. However, by using quality products to care for your teak furniture, it will retain its smooth finish, stay strong, and last for years longer.

You will find a number of excellent products on the market specifically designed for teak furniture. In addition, there are a few things you can do as well. To help remove the build-up of moss, you should wash off your teak furniture occasionally with good, old-fashioned soap and water. Just make sure you do the washing by hand, never using a power washer that can damage the furniture. You also want to make sure any soap used is nontoxic. Simply check with your local gardening center or hardware store for the best product sold in your area.

Now, some people prefer to apply a finish to their teak furniture, which is fine. For this, you have several good options. Remember, if you want you can allow the teak furniture to weather naturally. To do this, you literally do nothing. Simply leave the teak furniture outside in the elements, allowing the environment to weather on its own. With this, you will still need to wash the teak furniture with soap and water, about once a year.

Another option for your teak furniture is to use a wood oil sealer. Again, teak naturally contains oil but with a sealer, this oil will maintain in the wood grain so it lasts longer. One very important note – only use oil sealer on indoor teak furniture and never on outdoor teak furniture in that the extra oil will cause the wood to turn black from mildew. Now, if your teak furniture has been painted, you can protect it with a stain preservative. In this case, you want stain that is semi-transparent and with a UV inhibitor. Keep in mind that teak furniture manufacturers strongly discourage people from painting teak simply because it ruins the natural color and beauty while blistering and peeling over time from the oil. With a few easy steps, you can care for your teak furniture and have the confidence that it will provide you with years of beauty and enjoyment.

Adirondack Chairs - How to Choose One

As you shop around for outdoor furniture, you will notice that much of the higher quality pieces are made from teak wood, and for good reason. Teak furniture is not just sturdy and durable, but also very beautiful with rich warm tones. Manufacturers obtain their wood from different countries but the two that always produce top quality is Thailand and Indonesia.

In addition to being used as teak furniture, this type of wood actually has a long history, having been used for shipbuilding along with other forms of construction jobs. For centuries, teak has been the preferred wood since it is extremely strong and resilient. In fact, centuries ago, the people of Malaysia and India played a big role in getting word about this amazing wood, sharing about its ability to handle a wide array of outdoor elements.

Then, people during the Victoria era took full advantage of the many benefits offered by teak and began to make their own style of teak furniture as far back as the early 19th century. In addition to teak furniture created for home use, teak furniture was also designed in the form of benches to enhance local parks and public buildings. Today, you still find teak furniture at the top of the list when it comes to wood outdoor furniture.

While teak offers several benefits, the durability is considered a huge factor for individuals looking to buy patio furniture. For example, the teak wood coming from Central Asia is grown and matured in the tropical rainforests where it must weather varying environmental changes. Because of that, teak wood is naturally a great choice for outdoor furniture, as well as indoor furniture. For this reason, people will make the investment in teak furniture, knowing it will last for many, many years.

A common problem faced with other types of woods used for outdoor furniture is insects and rot. Again, by choosing teak furniture, you get the benefit of having wood that naturally fights both of these inconveniences. The primary reason is that teak, unlike most other woods, is saturated with oils that fight off insects, mold, mildew, and various forms of fungi. With teak growing in the rainforest, for it to survive, it must have the high concentrations of oil as protection against the moisture. The interesting thing about this is that even when teak becomes old and dies it is still saturated with natural oils.

Finally as mentioned, of all woods used, you will discover that teak furniture has a rich, warm appearance. The color is typically a medium to dark caramel that will often have swirls of other colors. As the teak furniture is designed and shined up, it glows and looks absolutely beautiful. Therefore, if you want gorgeous furniture that can be used for weekend entertainment, you cannot go wrong by choosing teak furniture! Without doubt, your family and friends will be envious!

Buying Parsons Chairs - What You Need to Know

Parsons chairs are commonly seen in homes around the dining room, adding a simplistic type of elegance. The great thing about using parsons chairs is that their design blends in with just about any home decor. This piece of furniture is considered "transitional" since the elements of its design covers a number or periods to include Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mission.

Although you will find parsons chairs on the market today made from many different materials, the construction method and design remains much the same – honest and simple while offering charm and sophistication. The other fascinating aspect of parsons chairs is that because it has transitioned down through the years, you will find different elements that capture each period. For example, some parsons chairs have the richness of the Mission period, incorporating an emphasis of line in the design. Then, for the Art Nouveau period, the parsons chairs have more fluidity, a scroll back and a unique quality.

With the Art Deco parsons chairs, these tend to be more ornate and detailed. The materials used are colorful, bold, and often exotic. In fact, some of the more expensive Art Deco parsons chairs will be made from leopard skin and black ebony wood. Keep in mind that while there is a full array of Art Deco chairs, when shopping around for a “true” parsons chair, it will generally include just one small element of the Art Deco period.

As you shop around for parsons chairs, you will be focusing your attention on three elements – the back, legs, and arms. With this type of chair, the back is designed in a number of styles, which includes straight, scrolled, or camel backed. Typically, the straight back falls more in the Arts and Crafts period while the scrolled and camel back go with the Art Nouveau period. For the legs of the parsons chair, these too are seen in a number of designs. As an example, it is common to see the legs turned, tapered, fluted, upholstered, Chippendale, and cabriole. Most of the styles lean toward the Art Nouveau period with the exception of the fluted and Chippendale, falling within the Arts and Crafts.

Finally, the arms on the parsons chair are also unique. Now, keep in mind that there are some of these chairs that have no arms but most do. For those with arms, they would be scrolled, upholstered, or simply plain with exposed wood. Again, most arms come from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods except the armless chair that goes along with Arts and Crafts.

The thing about the parsons chair is that the design is so varied while still being labeled the same type of chair. For this reason, the parsons chair fits so nicely with any décor. If you love the Mediterranean or French look, the turned or scrolled legs, straight back, and exposed arms works great. If you prefer a more contemporary look, you could have a parsons chair upholstered in leather with fluted legs and no arms. However, if country is your preferred look, then the camel back is perfect. Because of the diversity of the parsons chair, people around the country have incorporated them into their dining room design.