Distinction Between Good and Poor Quality Teak Furniture

Teak garden furniture is the most sought after furniture for any outdoor setting. The huge demand for this furniture has lead to many unfair practices by teak manufacturers. The difference in prices has created a big confusion among teak buyers. Sometimes, even the teak importers get trapped in this because of the limited information and knowledge. It is our obligation as a responsible teak manufcturer to inform our cusotmers in particular and public in general the difference in quality and the methods those manufacturers are using to deceive the cusotmer and thus harimng the whole teak furniture industry. In 21st century when the demand for quality is ever increasing we wouldn't want to label the teak furniture as some sort of cheap furniture because of some irresponsible producers and sellers of this beautiful and most durable wood.
We understand that in open market a customer can purchase a teak chair for just $15.00 and a similar chair would cost $150.00 from another suppier!!! Why such a HUGE difference???? This is the questions we are trying to answer here. Please read through carefully and judge yourself.
The teak furniture industry in indonesia can be categorised into two: Organised and Unorganised. The organised sector includes the big manufacturers who produce their goods using modern machinery with standard internatinal manufacturing procedures. The unorgainsed sector comprises of individual carpenters and small small exporters and wharehouse operators. The main difference is WHO MAKES YOUR FURNITURE? Is it facotry made OR some local carpernter at his home with no control or procedures to follow!! The others factors which determine the quality and thus the price of teak furniture lies in quality of wood, fittings used, type of glue and guarantee provided by the seller.
It is very important to understand how this works. The cheap furniture( which is full of sapwood with no real joinery)made by an individual carpenter goes to a BIG WAREHOUSE( these are normally the internet companies who claim to be manufacturer and so on). In these warehouses they collect the goods from hundereds of other carpenters. The warehouse will TREAT the furniture with CHEMICALS to attain the yellow brown color of the teak. Ofcourse, it looks almost same to the customer but we do not know how it affects the durability of wood, the adverse effect on environment and the person sitting on the chair which has been CHEMICALLY TREATED. They will put it under sun for few days and then pack it in a nice looking carton box with fancy brand name on it!!!! Infact, these warehouses are HUGE and have grown many folds in last couple of years. They have no investment at all except a rented warehouse which they can close down anytime. What guarantee should one expect from such warehouses/exporters!!!!!!

GOOD QUALITY TEAK FURNITURE
1.WOOD SOURCE
The wood is sourced from Perhutani only. Perhutani manages the teak plantation under TFT/FSC supervision. The wood from perutani is guaranteed to be cut from sustainable plantations.

2.QUALITY OF TIMBER PIC TEAK WOOD
The wood used in these products is free from sap, knots, termites and black grains. To get this quality of teak planks one needs to use bigger logs -meaning better quality wood.

3.DRYING PROCESS
KILN DRY: The teak components are placed inside huge kiln dry chambers for almost 2 weeks to attain the desired moisture content of wood before processing. This step is most important in producing teak garden furniture. The teak furniture which is made from properly kiln dried teak is guaranteed to stay intact for generations.

4.PRODUCTION PROCESS

Generally the companies have good infrastructure to make such products. Everything is done under one roof. Modern machinery is used at every stage with strict quality control staff. Very experienced and skilled labor force is employed; qualified and experienced management team usually manages the company.

5.ASSEMBLY
Hydraulic presses are widely used to ensure that the parts fit tightly and precisely.

6.GLUE
Only waterproof polyurethane and high quality epoxy glues are used in these products. The polyurethane glue is highly elastic and adjusts itself to any weather condition.

7.FITTINGS
High quality SOLID BRASS or stainless steel fittings. Rust proof and guaranteed to last for decades.

8.CHEMICAL TREATMENT

NO TREATMENT AT ALL. The products are always delivered in natural color. Finley sanded.

9.FINAL PRODUCT
In general, these products are delivered in natural finish. No teak-oil or any other substance is used. The end product is finely sanded to give a smooth end finish.

10.PACKINGPacked in quality hard carton boxes with complete product detail printed.

11.GUARANTEES

ATLEAST ONE YEAR MANUFACTUER GUARANTEE

POOR QUALITY TEAK FURNITURE

1.WOOD SOURCE:
The wood is sourced from private plantations. Since the warehouses have no control on production even the illegal wood is used in such products. The certification like BRIK/ETPIK has no meaning except that the company is allowed to export furniture. All freight agents in Indonesia possess such certificates!!!!!!!! The certificate from Perhutani is the only proof that wood has been bought from legal source.

2.QUALITY OF TIMBERThe wood used in cheap quality teak products is full of sap, termites and uneven grains. Since the logs are vey small in diameter, freshly cut the planks are full of sap.

3.DRYING PROCESS
SEASON DRYING: The wood is put outside in open sun for few days to few hours hoping the wood will dry by itself!!!!!!! Most of these carpenters do not own a drying facility neither have access to any kiln drying facility.

4.PRODUCTION PROCESSNo infrastructure. Usually they work in groups but with no coordination. The workers are paid on contract basis. The owner only provides the shed with some working space with minimal tools. No control or quality check is performed.

5.ASSEMBLYThe parts are glued and pressed using rubber bands and strings!!! How well the parts are joined together will depend much on the manual strength and patience of the person. Consistency is lacking because of no parameters to follow.

6.GLUE
Locally produced epoxy glues are mostly used here. The price of such glue is only the fraction of polyurethane gule. Since the epoxy glue produced a hard film between the two adjoining parts, the joinery becomes much weaker after the product has gone through its first winter.

7.FITTINGS
Low quality brass fittings are used. There is a large home industry here which will use the scrapped brass with large impurities and reprocess it and sell at very cheap prices. Such fittings will look fine for first season but will ultimately rust and even breaks in some cases.

8.CHEMICAL TREATMENTAs above said, the end product is treated with a solution of sulphuric acid to hide the sapwood and other defects. This is a decesive process which makes it hard for a customer to figure out whether there is any sapwood in the product. The customer will know after few months of use but that is already too late!!

9.FINAL PRODUCTAfter treatment, the products are left to dry for a day or two. During this process, the color becomes almost uniform with light brown color. There are other methods besides treatment. Most of the products which are stained or finished with teak-oil are mostly lower grade products.

10.PACKINGNow, even these products are nicely packed. That is where the customer got to be cautious. After all, we are not paying for boxes but what in inside the box.

11.GUARANTEE

NO guarantee.