Finishing a beautiful kitchen remodel with a gorgeous floor brings full richness to the new room. Teak is an especially good choice for flooring applications because it carries a perfect combination of beauty and strength. Decorative shelving, outdoor furniture, boat building, and indoor adornments are all popular uses for this lumber. Likewise, domestic and commercial flooring are wonderful applications for teak.
Durability
The durability of teak has made it a sought-after commodity for indoor flooring. Trend-setting homes and remodeled houses all have rooms with a lot of traffic. The kitchen, for example, is used every single day, along with hallways, bedrooms, and living rooms. Using a lumber like teak means the beauty of the wood will withstand this high traffic. Teak will not crack, stain, rot, or scratch easily at all, unlike some other hardwoods that can betray the amount of traffic that passes through a room. Boat builders have long used teak in their boats, and if teak can withstand the salty, wave-tossed conditions of the open water, it will certainly hold its own in even the busiest kitchens.
Strength
Many hardwoods are used for flooring, but teak is sought out especially for its strength. All lumber undergoes hardness testing, as this allows lumber companies like J. Gibson McIlvain to sell the wood for the correct application. Oak is the classical choice for high traffic flooring because of its durability, but teak ranks much higher than oak in all hardness tests, meaning it’s more durable. Therefore, teak will stand up to galloping pets, roughhousing children, and even high heeled shoes better than other types of wood. The modern home needs durable, beautiful flooring. The modern home needs teak.
Beauty
The warm tones of teak lumber range from golden reddish hues to a time-tested golden brown, and the lumber’s tight grain patterns display the colors beautifully. Teak’s beauty ensures that it will be a great choice for any room of the house, complementing any decor and adding a touch of elegance to every area of the home.
Low Maintenance
Adhering to a maintenance routine will only retain the newly sawn coloring of teak. This wood’s structural integrity and stability are not affected by lack of maintenance, which is great news for homeowners who want a low maintenance wood. Teak used in outdoor applications will fade to a silver shade without treatment, but many homeowners actually prefer this silvery-gray patina. For homeowners who feel the need, oiling is the preferred method of treatment for this wood, as staining, a nearly irreversible process, will erase the grain pattern for a uniform color.
Lastly, teak has a natural non-slip surface. Old growth teak contains softer growth bands, and these bands in the wood make the surface of the floor less slippery. Again, over maintenance of teak lumber can actually harm the wood, as sanding and harsh cleaning compounds will compromise this unique non-slip characteristic. The natural oils of the wood are enough maintenance for most floors.
Premier First European Quality (FEQ) teak is the highest grade available, known for its consistent grain patterns and stunning color. J. Gibson McIlvain carries FEQ and prices old growth teak from Southeast Asia in their lumberyards. With over 200 years of experience as a leader in the lumber industry, McIlvain is better qualified to help you than any other lumber company. For more information on why McIlvain is an American favorite, visit their website, or check out these selections from their lumber blog:
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