Page 255 - 2027 A5 Catalog OGI (Final)

MATERIALS

Teak
Teak’s dense nature, high content of silica and oils makes it hard
wearing and naturally resistant to rot and impervious to insects.
Teak is one of only a few tropical hardwoods that can be
successfully grown in plantations.
Our teak wood is sourced exclusively from certified
government-owned plantations in Indonesia. The plantations are
the single largest source of employment in Indonesia. Teak is
grown like any other crop, where harvesting and re-planting is
done in unison to ensure the plantations, which were first
established in the late 1800’s, will remain a renewable source
of income for future generations.

Each teak log is carefully selected with the aim that all the wood
used must originate from slow-grown mature trees. In the
conversion into furniture components, virtually nothing is
wasted. Shavings and sawdust are either recycled into
agricultural products or converted into incense sticks for use
at places of worship, while offcuts serve as bio-fuel that is
burnt to generate energy.
The uniform colour of our teak wood is achieved through careful
selection, not manipulation with chemicals such as oils, bleaches
and stains. This ensures that when left untreated, the wood will
over time develop a natural silver grey patina.

This picture above shows a cross section of a mature teak log. The white
coloured wood around the periphery is sapwood. Sapwood is the juvenile part
of the tree trunk used for transporting moisture from the roots to the foliage. The
golden-yellow part is heartwood. Heartwood is the part of the tree that gives the
tree trunk the structural strength required to withstand the outdoor elements.
Teak heart wood is resistant to rot and insects, while teak sapwood is not. In low
grade teak furniture, stains, oils, and varnishes are applied to the sapwood or
the complete furniture to mask the use of sapwood. Furniture constructed with
sapwood will regardless of the chemicals applied eventually rot prematurely.
Teak produced by Quality Works does not include sapwood and is free from
stains, oils and varnish. What you see and feel is 100% natural teak heartwood.

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