The fact that teak flooring is made out of one of the world’s most amazing natural materials, it’s no surprise that this flooring is a highly sought after upgrade for homes. There is just something special about a teak floor, it has a great combination of natural warmth, but is also quite sophisticated. Teak wood flooring of course is not as common as other hardwood flooring, such as oak. Specialty items like this are a financial commitment, so it is very important to learn as much as possible about teak before you decide to install it into your home.
History of Teak Flooring
Teak’s scientific name is Tectona Grandis, but the original name for the tree is derived from the Indian language of Malayalam is thekku. The teak tree or theku is native to the Indian subcontinent and stretches east into southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand and Laos. There is some dispute if the tree is native further south in Southeast Asia in the countries of Malaysia and Indonesia. Some theorize that the tree was introduced by Hindu settlers in the area as early as the 7 century.
Today the cultivation of the Teak tree has spread to other parts of the world as well, including the Philippines, Central America and South America. The popularity of Teak wood starting in the early 1800s due to it’s incredible qualities, which I will go over in a later section, put a large strain on the population of the tree, the species was nearly wiped out. What happened was the demand for the wood was growing faster than the trees.
Teak Flooring Characteristics
A teak tree takes several years to reach full maturity, as much as forty years of growth. A mature tree reaches nearly 40 meters in height. Many teak plantation owners call their trees a retirement tree, as it takes nearly until retirement to monetize their investment.
The large demand described above is completely understandable. Not only for teak floors but this wood is well suited for many applications. Teak naturally has a very high oil content. This oil content is much higher than nearly any other kind of wood. Most don’ think of this as a benefit when investigating hardwoods for your home, but it has many advantages. Teak oil naturally repels water and is also a natural defense against insects, fungus and mildew. These are all qualities of a treated piece of lumber, such as walnut lumber, without any treatment! Teak is a natural wonder wood.
One thing to note about the oil content of teak. The highest oil content and most natural resilience to outside elements is found in old growth teak trees that have had decades to mature. Today, this wood is simply not around for commercial consumption. If you want this type of wood, the best way is to find reclaimed teak wood. There are business that search out old teak in falling down buildings and factories that need to be dismantled for safety reasons. Another source of reclaimed teak wood flooring is from old fishing boats in southeast Asia. Teak was a very popular material for boat builders because of its water repellents and resistance to mold and insect infestation.
Although the grove grown teak trees in teak plantations do not have all the natural qualities as the really old trees, they still have some natural oils, more so than many woods. New growth teak does require some treatment such as being kiln dried and treated with natural oil to replicate its properties if it were able to grow to maturity.
The color of teak hardwood flooring can range from a rich golden in more of a yellowish hue to a deep brown with a reddish hue. Also, due to it’s slow growth, the grain is very tight. This makes a very attractive, yet subtle pattern on the surface of the wood. Not only does is slow growth attributable to the tight grain pattern, but it is also attributable to the extreme hardness of teak flooring. Along with the oil content, and general look, such as color and grain, the hardness of the wood has made it a very popular choice for many applications including of course, a teak wood floor.
In the wood lumber industry there is a standardized test for wood hardness called the Janka scale. It is important to have a relative system, where you can compare woods hardness. This test is performed by measuring the amount of force to push a steel ball bearing into the wood by half the balls circumference. For teak it takes about 4.4 kilonewtons, or 1000 pounds of force. This puts teak into a category of moderately hardwoods, but this combined with it’s natural oil properties puts teak flooring in a league of it’s own.
Brazilian Teak Flooring
Of course there is many varieties of teak hardwood flooring, but I wanted to focus a little bit on Brazilian teak hardwood flooring, due to its popularity and high demand. Brazilian teak is known as Cumaru in its native environment. The first thing about this variety of teak I’d like to point out is that there are some woods out there sold as Brazilian teak floors, but are simply not. If you do a little searching you may see someone selling a wood called Brazilian teak light or Southern Chestnut. Both are claimed by some to be in the teak family genus Tectona, but this simply is not the case. Both these woods may be nice and work for applications such as flooring, but it is misleading that they claim they are teak.
Not only do you have to be careful not to obtain wood that is not actually Brazilian teak, but you also have to be careful on how and where the teak was obtained. Be sure when purchasing Brazilian teak flooring, to look for the FSC logo. FSC stands for the Forestry Stewardship Council. Product with this logo you can be assured that they meet all the rigorous procedures that keep their business practices environmentally sustainable.
The popularity of Brazilian teak floors is due to both its beautiful appearance and its extreme durability. Brazilian teak is much darker than traditional teak out of Southeast Asia. The coloration of the Brazilian variety ranges from a medium or dark tan to a deep brown with a reddish hue. Like it’s cousin out of SE Asia, the grain pattern is very tight. Unlike SE Asian Teak, the Brazilian Teak, Cumaru is much harder. On the Janka scale described above, Brazilian Teak Flooring measures around 3540 pounds of force, making it one of the hardness most durable woods commercially available. In fact, unfinished Brazilian teak flooring is about twice as hard as unfinished oak flooring.
The off the charts hardness combined with the natural oil content makes Brazilian teak flooring an ultimate hardwood floors. Keep in mind that although this flooring may appear invincible on paper, there is still care must be taken when owning any exotic hardwood flooring. First this will be a large investment, so you want to take good care of your teak flooring. If something spills on the floor, it is naturally resistant, but it should be cleaned and dried in a timely manner. Also a deep clean every 3 to 4 years is recommended.
Brazilian teak flooring is an investment, one can expect the prices to be higher than other floor options such as unfinished oak flooring. The prices of teak floors will fluctuate due to industry trends, quality and general demand for the product. At the time of this writing, the price for unfinished Brazilian teak flooring is between $2 and $5 per square foot. The price range reflects difference in wood quality as well as board width, which can have a dramatic impact on pricing. Prefinished teak planks and boards start around $4 and can reach and even exceed $7 per square foot. These prices reflect the material only, they do not include shipping or installation costs.
The board width is a big decision for the home owners. Board widths of Brazilian teak range from 2″ to over 5″. In general, the far end of the spectrum, both the very narrow and the very wide, tend to be more popular in contemporary / modern settings. The sizes in the middle range are better suite for more traditional spaces. Which ever color or board width of Brazilian Teak flooring is installed into a space, you one can be assured that it will be incredibly beautiful.
Teak Hardwood Flooring: Is it harmful on the Environment?
Clearly, teak hardwood floors will be a beautiful addition to any interior space, but the last thing you want to do is harm our fragile environment for something as trivial as flooring. So this is a fair question to ask, but it’s important to understand that teak cultivation is performed in many different ways around the globe. The global scale of the hardwood industry is immense, so it is not fair to make blanket statements on teak hardwood’s impact on the environment. In this section we will examine certain environmental claims as well as their counter claims to demonstrate how complex and varied the teak industry is before we come to any conclusions.
The first and easiest claim against the use of teak is that cutting down a tree for such frivolous needs wants such as teak furniture and teak flooring is absurd. Of course in a general sense this may make a bit of sense. I think most of us in the western world may be guilty of having too much emphasis on material possessions. The counterpoint to this argument is the functionality and durability of teak. We need shelter, shelters need floors. There are temples and other structures in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that have teak floors that can be dated nearly 2000 years old. This takes durability to a whole new level. The argument being that teak flooring will never have to be replaced therefore minimizing more trees being cut down.
Another argument is that old growth teak forest are being cut down, therefor reducing teak population as well as threatening native flora and fauna to the area. This argument is of huge concern. Many government’s around the world have made it law to protect the natural old growth forests. It is crucial when buying teak wood to ask where the wood came from and demand documentation. There are many places doing teak cultivation the right way without sacrificing old growth forests and the rest of the plants and wildlife within them. As they say it just takes a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone.
As global output increases, so does the spread of teak plantations. This is actually good for the species. It diversifies the location of the species protecting it as a whole from natural disasters such as tsunamis, fire and drought.
Another environmental claim is that by cutting down teak trees, you are cutting down the rain forests. There are some teak trees in rain forests, but not any quantity to justify harvesting them. The large quantities of teak trees grow in slightly drier and in areas where the deciduous forests are less densely packed.
Lastly, there are many concerns about the general manufacturing process with the teak wood industry. This is so varied it is impossible to generalize. Any manufacturing, no matter what will have some impact on the environment. Some companies are more responsible than others. This is worth a little more research into each company of interest for concerned consumers. Not only are the companies environmental policies important, but also their human rights policies. Social and environmental concerns at times are at cross purposes. Deciding what comes first, people’s well being or the environment will be an age long debate, worth contemplation.
In summery, the environmental impact of teak is variant. The main thing to remember is with proper research you can have beautiful teak flooring that is environmentally sustainable.
Teak Lumber
Teak Laminate Flooring Vs. Teak Hardwood Flooring
Many consumers when shopping for hardwood flooring may immediately fall in love with a specific species. It’s hard not to fall for teak flooring, with it’s rich goldenrod or brown umber coloring an tight grain pattern. For many the joy of the wood is immediately dashed when they see the high price of solid teak hardwood flooring. Some people to save a little money will elect to use teak for tiles, but this simply will not give you a hardwood floor look. Luckily, if consumers simply cannot or will not pay for the price for a solid teak floor, there is an alternative, laminate teak flooring.
Let’s begin this section with stating that laminate teak floors, are a laminate. Laminate flooring is a general description for a broad range of products consisting of mainly melamine resin. Most of the lowest price options of teak laminate floors are nothing more than a teak pattern stamped into the resins. The higher end teak laminate flooring will offer an actual slice or veneer of actual teak wood on the top surface under the clear protective coating. Both options actually have a remarkably similar appearance to real solid teak hardwood flooring. In some cases, if not compared side by side with the real thing, most could not tell the difference. Laminate teak floors can really be a beautiful product for any home.
So, how does laminate teak flooring compare to the real thing? Well, in many respects it has the same qualities. If you buy the right brand, it can be almost as beautiful as solid teak as well as similar durability for a fraction of the price of real teak floors. Some say that the laminates are just as if not more durable than hardwoods. From the teak perspective, time will tell, we’ll see what a teak laminate looks like in 2000 years compared to the floors in ancient India. Regardless, laminates will certainly hold up for a lifetime if installed and cared for properly. One thing that laminate flooring has over the real thing is upkeep. It is much easier to clean and requires little effort to maintain. This is different with solid teak flooring, which occasionally needs to be deep cleaned and oiled.
So, Laminate teak flooring is durable, water resistant and looks great for a fraction of the price, why would anyone invest in the real thing? It all comes down to authenticity. Many discerning people just simply demand the best and the real thing. These are the same people that drive up the resale for teak flooring. Simply put, an advantage of solid teak flooring compared to laminate is the resale value. Authentic teak floors rarely loose any value, they may even increase in value over time. Not many upgrades in a home can make this statement.
In the end, most people are happy with both laminate teak and sold teak flooring, it comes down to what the individual’s priorities are in making a purchase decision. There is no right or wrong answer, it a personal choice.
Upkeep and Taking Care of Teak Flooring
Teak has a reputation of being nearly invincible. Of course teak flooring is one of the most durable products out there, it still needs to be taken care of.
The first line of defense is preventative care. The first culprit of dings and scratches is furniture. It’s is such an easy fix, I don’t know why so many people don’t do this: put felt pads on the legs of your furniture. These are completely concealed under the furniture, so you can see them. It ensures that the two hard surfaces don’t meet, eliminating scuffs and scratches. Lastly, it’s easier to move the furniture to clean underneath them.
Next in preventative care for your teak hardwood flooring is to use a vacuum that is designed for or has an attachment specifically for wood floors. These are designed to have no hard surface to hard surface contact and will ensure your floors are free of any abrasive debris such as gravel, sand and dirt.
Lastly with the preventative care, be mindful of direct sunlight on the teak hardwood floors. Some say to keep the curtains shut. That okay, but I kind of like natural light, like most, I’m not a vampire, so I elect to have UV rated film installed on my windows, which protects the floor just fine.
Your teak flooring will need maintenance time to time. The best approach is to clean very thoroughly in this order:
- Vaccum with a vacuum designed for hardwood flooring
- Mop floor with water and gentle and natural floor cleaner. No harsh chemicals please. Never use any cleaner with abrasive additives such as soft scrub.
- Buy teak cleaner. Make sure the steps 1 and 2 are done prior. Teak cleaner works best on the wood without any dirt or grime present. Seems counter-intuitive but trust me.
- Apply teak cleaner. This is done with a non-metallic scrub brush. I recommend to scrub with the grain, not against it. Teak is hard enough that if you go across the grain it won’t hurt it, I just find it cleans better going with the grain of the teak.
- Apply teak oil. The cleaner above stips away all oil on the surface of the teak, so you must reseal the product to maintain its durability, water resistance and color. This is best applied with a damp rag soaked in the teak oil. There are many varieties out there. Be sure to follow the directions on the packaging. Some teak oils are designed to be used with specific species. Also, remember to apply a little at a time, do not get hasty, go slow and steady for best results on your teak flooring.
Teak Flooring Summary
As you can see teak hardwood flooring is an amazing upgrade for any home bound to last for generations to come. Of course there is much research needed to ensure you are buying an environmentally responsible product. As stated cheap teak flooring or even teak flooring for less, just doesn’t exist. To save money alternatives can be teak for tiles or a laminate. We have found that teak laminate flooring is a valid alternative to the real thing. If you decide to go with solid teak floors, it is critical that you take care of them. A teak floor is resilient, but not invincible. Take the proper steps to maintain your teak flooring. Hands down, teak flooring is a stunning upgrade for any space.
beautiful teak flooring in a home
