Green Consumers Choose Grade A Teak For Garden Furniture

Being a green consumer is important to many people these days, with the trend in trying live a more eco-friendly life. Summer outdoor entertaining also often revolves around garden furniture, whether lounging in the yard or having a family picnic. By choosing to buy garden furniture made from Grade A Javanese Teak, consumers can not only go green, but find truly durable patio furniture that will last for years.

Teak: The Sustainable Resource

Teak is a sustainable resource. New trees can be grown to replace those used to create furniture. The key to green consumerism is to know where the teak in your garden furniture comes from.

Some companies, such as the UK's Faraway Furniture, only use plantation wood. The teak used in their garden furniture comes from plantations of the island of Java - the Indonesian government only allows a limited number of these Javanese plantation trees to be cut down annually, and they require an equal number of trees to be planted for reforestation.

Why Grade A Teak is Greener

Any type of tree can technically be a sustainable resource. So why choose teak if you want to go green? And more importantly, why Grade A teak? Why not Grade C teak to save money?

Heartwood Grade A teak has lower moisture levels than lower grade wood (sometimes referred to as sapwood). In addition to less moisture from being kiln dried, Grade A teak also has a greater amount of natural oil and rubber.

his helps to prevent the wood from rotting, as can happen with lower grade teak furniture. Grade A teak furniture can last for generations with little maintenance on the consumer's part.

Because Grade A teak furniture lasts much longer than outdoor furniture crafted from other woods, it needs to be replaced less often. This, in turn, means that fewer trees must be cut down over time to continually replace garden furniture, making it more environmentally friendly.

Teak is actually such a tough wood that it was the most-used wood in the construction of 18th century warships. In its natural state, consumers can be even more eco-conscious by avoiding the use of chemicals often used to oil, stain, lacquer, or paint wooden outdoor furniture created with other woods. Teak is naturally water-resistant, so it doesn't require these treatments which can release unwanted chemicals into the environment.

Teak's Cost and Value

Grade A teak garden and patio furniture will cost significantly more than furniture made from the lower grade sapwood. That's because only a small portion of the teak tree is made up of this heartwood. However, keeping in mind that the furniture will last much longer, and help you decrease your carbon footprint, Grade A teak's long-term value to you and the environment will generally far outweigh any up front costs.

S. Aharony is the Director of Faraway Furniture (http://www.FarawayFurniture.co.uk), a UK-based online seller of indoor dining furniture and Grade A teak garden and patio furniture, with an emphasis on building a sustainable business and sustainable customer relationships. Learn more about Grade A teak at http://www.farawayfurniture.co.uk/teak-furniture-advice.htm