Everyone who plans to build an orangery wants something stylish but also built to last. That’s why when we install hardwood orangeries, we use materials that will both look great and last a long time.
We use all sorts of different kinds of hardwood, each of which has its own qualities. But there is no doubt teak has something special about it.
Durability is the most notable aspect. The phrase “tough as teak” was not coined without good reason. The prime reason for this is its exceptional density, making it very hard. It also contains silica, which means cutting tools get blunted on it very quickly.
However, it is not just that teak is like a boxer with an iron jaw. It is also resistant to fungal rot and because it naturally contains a lot of resinous oil that acts as a natural insecticide, it is also not vulnerable to insect infestation and damage.
Similarly, it resists water and many chemical agents and does not react strongly to metals. Even untreated, it will survive over 30 years in the open.
Indeed, teak is so resistant to the forces that would destroy other woods that it was even found still present when the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in 1985, 73 years after the sinking, when tiny ocean organisms would have devoured all the other kinds of wood on board.
Generally a dark wood with a straight grain, although it can occasionally be wavy in appearance, teak is native to south Asia, although it can also be grown in Africa and the Caribbean. It is to this tropical location that its tough qualities can be attributed, as it deals with the winds and rains of tropical storms, as well as the perils of various wood-munching insects.
At the same time, teak just does not warp or bend, so it can handle any climate.
All this makes it a fine hardwood choice for your orangery, one that will stand the test of time and show just how tough it is.