8 Ways To Tell if Your Teak Furniture is Genuine or Fake

While it is very difficult to tell the difference between fake and genuine teak furniture, there are some signs that can help you determine if your new purchase is indeed a fake.

If you’re in the market for a new piece of teak furniture, it’s important to know how to tell if the piece is genuine or fake.

Here are eight ways to help you determine if the teak furniture is the real deal.

Teak wood appearance

Before we learn how to check if teak wood is real or not lets talk about its appearance first.

Teak wood has a deep, lustrous golden or medium brown color that only gets better with age. The grain is usually straight, but it can occasionally be wavy or interlocked, adding beautiful texture to your piece. In addition to being used for furniture, teak wood is often used for decking and exterior building applications. It’s also perfect for interior applications as it has a nice grain.

1. Check its color

Teak wood is known for its beautiful golden brown to yellowish white color. The sapwood is whiter in color and is weaker than the heartwood. The heartwood has a rich, golden brown to drown color that is harder, stronger, and more expensive than the sapwood.

Teak wood is usually very resistant to cracking or warping, but because of changing climatic conditions and long transport routes, it can sometimes be subject to minimal warping.

2. Look for straight grain

If you’re looking to identify teak wood, one of the most important factors to look at is the grain. Teak wood has a straight grain, which means that the lines on the wood will be mostly straight and darker in color than the rest of the wood.

If the grain isn’t straight, or if it’s difficult to see the lines because the wood is too dark, there are a few questions you can ask to help determine whether or not the wood is actually teak.

The presence of silica in the wood makes it coarse, and the straight grain is a dead giveaway. If you’re not sure whether a piece of wood is teak or not, rub your hands over it – if it doesn’t shatter, it’s probably teak!

3. Teak is dense and heavy

Weighing the wood is an easy way to identify teak. Teak is a very dense and heavy wood, so if the wood feels light and porous in your hands, it’s probably not teak.

4. Examine Oil Content

One of the main ways to identify teak wood is by its oil content. Teak has a high oil content which gives it unique qualities, such as a strong smell of old leather and a pale color. The oil content also protects the wood from drying out.

5. It should be noticeably strong and durable

Teak wood is highly coveted due to its excellent properties. It is very strong and durable, and it doesn’t warp, crack, or deteriorate. Teak is great for indoor and outdoor use, and it’s especially resistant to humidity.

6. Look for Patina

The surface of teak wood often develops a patina over time. This is a natural process that occurs as the wood ages. The honey-brown color of the wood gradually becomes less conspicuous, discoloring to a more colorless tone. This only happens if the the surface is untreated. In some cases, the patina will form even after a few weeks, when it has rained a lot and been exposed to strong sunlight in between.

If you want to keep the natural color of your teak, it’s important to take care of it accordingly. Strong weather conditions can lead to a silver-gray patina, which sometimes ends with dark gray features. In a very humid climate, the patina can even be slightly greenish.

To prevent a patina from forming, you can oil or wax the wood regularly. If there are coarse soiling or stubborn stains, they can be removed with soapy water.

What is Patina?

A patina is a thin green or brown film that forms on the surface of bronze or similar metals over time. This film is produced by oxidation, and it can give a piece of metal a beautiful, aged look.

7. It should have a leather like fragrance

When you smell teak wood, you are smelling the natural substances contained in the wood. These substances give off a characteristic odor because of the oil presence. This odor is similar to a leather fragrance. If the wood doesn’t have such smell, it might not be teak.

8. Try the water test

If you’re looking for an outdoor wood that’s tough and water-resistant, teak is a great option. Drop two points of water onto a piece of real teak and a piece of fake teak, and you’ll see that the water is quickly absorbed by the fake wood. The water droplets quickly disappeared into the fake teak wood, while the real teak wood hardly absorbed any of the water.

Grades of Teak

Identifying real teak furniture can be tricky, as the color, hardness and lifespan of the wood can vary significantly from piece to piece. However, by knowing the different grades of teak wood, you can get a good idea of what to expect in terms of appearance, color and resistance.

There are three grades of teak: A, B, and C.

Class A teak is the best quality and comes from trees over 30 years old. The wood is very robust with a uniform color.
Class B teak is also good quality, but may have dark spots and more knots.
Class C teak is the lowest quality and comes from young trees.

It’s important to note that not all teak furniture is made from grade A or B wood.

Teak Wood Properties

Color/Appearance: Heartwood can be a variety of colors, ranging from golden brown to a much darker color, depending on the age of the tree.

Grain: The grain of wood is often straight, but it can also be wavy or interlocked. Its texture is coarse and uneven, and it has a moderate to low natural luster. Raw wood surfaces have a slightly oily or greasy feel, due to the natural oils present in the wood.

Rot Resistance: Teak is a wood that is known for its incredible durability and resistance to decay. It is considered the gold standard for wood, and its heartwood is rated as very durable. Teak is a highly durable wood that is resistant to termites, marine borers, and powder post beetles.

Odor: The sweet, woodsy aroma of fresh teak can be reminiscent of leather.

Work ability: The pronounced blunting effect of teak usually necessitates the finishing of the wood to reduce the risk of injury. Teak usually glues and finishes well, but a solvent should be applied to the surface prior to gluing to help the adhesion of the materials.

Toxicity: Despite being rarely severe, Teak has been known to cause sensitization in some people. Teak have been documented. The most common reactions include eye and skin irritation, as well as other health effects such as nausea and respiratory problems.

Uses: Some popular uses for this type of wood include ship and boatbuilding, veneer, furniture, exterior construction, carving, turnings, and other small wood objects.

Telltale signs of fake teak furniture

When looking for fake teak furniture, there are a few telltale signs to look out for.

The first is the price; if the furniture is significantly cheaper than other pieces of teak furniture, it’s likely a fake. Additionally, fake teak furniture is often made from a lower-quality wood, so it may not have the same grain or color as real teak furniture.

To determine the quality of your teak furniture, look at the details. Check to see if the wood is cut with a uniform finish and if the grain is straight throughout the piece.

Also, check the joint construction. Are the joints tight and do they appear to be glued or fastened with a screw? If so, the furniture is most likely fake.

If you’re unsure whether or not a piece of furniture is made from teak, check the label on the bottom of the furniture. Some teak manufacturer add this label on their products.

What to look for when buying teak furniture

When looking to buy teak furniture, it is important to consider the quality of the wood. Teak is a durable wood that is known for its resistance to rot and insects. However, not all teak furniture is created equal. Look for furniture that is made from high-quality teak for the best results.

Here are some things to consider when buying teak furniture:

Choice of finishes

Pre-weathered teak furniture is a great option if you’re looking for a weathered look without the wait. Finishes can vary greatly when purchasing teak wood, so it’s important to be presented with all the options before making your purchase. Natural and unsealed finishes will weather over time, but offer a more rustic look. Sealed and weathered finishes will be less affected by the weather, but may not have the same natural look.

Style of teak furniture

Teak furniture is often considered a classic choice for outdoor furniture, but the styles and designs have kept up with current trends. Blending teak with metal and wicker materials, in addition to using beautiful all-weather fabrics, creates endless design possibilities with teak furniture. Whether you prefer a classic profile or bold pattern, there is a teak piece for every taste.

In addition to traditional teak furniture, porch pads and other outdoor furnishings are available in a variety of styles and materials. Choose a piece with several storage options. A large bucket or tray is a convenient place for items needed immediately, such as tissues, sunblock, or beach towels. Other storage options available include small bins and baskets.

What Size and Shape Teak furniture

If you’re in the market for some new patio furniture, consider investing in a circular teak dining table. Not only is this type of table beautiful and elegant, but it’s also incredibly durable and weather-resistant, making it the perfect choice for your outdoor space. When you buy a circular table, you have a few different options for sizes and styles.

While smaller tables are great for intimate settings, larger tables are perfect for groups. The best part? They’re also versatile and work well for any type of weather. When you’re choosing your table, consider its impression on your space and the kinds of people you’ll be sitting down to dinner with.each end.

FAQ’s

Teak Wood Sustainability

Tropical deforestation is a leading cause of climate change, as the transport distances required to ship wood to temperate forests make it one of the highest emitters of carbon dioxide. However, teak logging can be sustainable if it is carried out in a way that preserves the carbon storage capacity of the forest. Sustainable wood practices like carbon sequestration can help mitigate these effects, but they are often more expensive than traditional logging practices.

How can you tell if wood is veneer or solid?

Solid wood furniture is made of solid wood pieces. A veneered piece is a piece that is made of solid wood, but the sides are covered in a thin layer of veneer.
What are distinctive teak wood properties?

Which country is it being harvested from?

Teak extraction is severely restricted in all countries today in order to protect natural forests. Myanmar is the only country where teak extraction is still allowed, but even that is being phased out.

Conclusion

Teak wood is a durable and durable wood that is known for its excellent properties. It is considered the gold standard for wood, and its heartwood is rated as very durable. In addition to being used for furniture, teak is often used for decking and exterior building applications, and it is also perfect for interior applications as it has a nice grain. Identifying real teak furniture can be tricky, as the color, hardness and lifespan of the wood can vary significantly from piece to piece.