According to anthropologists, early homo sapiens from about 12,000 years ago —the Mesolithic Period— lived their lives mostly outdoors and only moving indoors at night to one-room caves, mud huts, and crude lean-to type tents in order to shelter from the weather, giant man-eating creatures or other hostile homo sapiens.

Their furnishings were pretty basic...stumps, felled trees, slabs of large rock or some thatched branches and animal hide strung between two trees. So, in that era, “outdoor furnishings” were pretty much the only furnishings they had. And luxury outdoor living wasn’t exactly a part of their lifestyle lexis...

Jump ahead a few millennia to the Middle Ages and our ancestors had long since moved mostly indoors to stone, wood and brick multi-roomed homes. And, by then, they had honed their furniture-making craft to include fairly ornate wood furnishings for both indoor and outdoor living.

Today, wood is still the preferred core element for most furniture. Although other materials such as plastics, metals, fabrics, vinyl’s and real or faux leather are often added or —in some cases— substituted, wood remains the most desirable material used in most furniture designs. Over time and with much trial-and-error, it became obvious that hardwoods were the best choice for most wood furnishings. They held up under heavy use and abuse and could be mass manufactured to fit the wide range of commercial and residential demand.

The few that proved to be best suited for outdoor living included mahogany, cedar, cypris and teak. And of those, the preferred and most durable of these has always been the tropical hardwood known as Tectona Grandis or the teak family.

For many centuries past, teak’s natural qualities became so renowned as the best for outdoor furnishings that it was transplanted from its lands of origin in India, Myanmar, Laos to rainforest settings across south and southeastern Asia —including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

And, today, teak has become a much-treasured cash crop with the best grades being grown and harvested by certified companies like Westminster Teak within government-controlled, sustainable teak plantations of Indonesia.

So, what has made teak become so sought-after and valuable over the millennia? To get scientific, it’s teak’s tight grain pattern, high tensile strength and an abundance of natural oils that create built-in protection of the wood from the elements and give it exceptional longevity and durability... especially in damp areas, in direct sunlight and under virtually all weather conditions.

That makes it the obvious wood of choice for outdoor furnishing use... whether for poolside patios, curbside cafes, beachside cabanas or deck-side aboard yachts and cruise liners like under the most extreme saltwater spray conditions.

But there’s more to teak’s demand than its superior hardwood makeup. It’s simply the inherent “allure” of finely crafted teak furnishings. Teak dresses up any setting with a look of simple, sleek, graceful elegance and style that can’t be matched. No matter where it’s placed or how it’s used, teak furnishing quietly invites you to, “Come relax, chill and enjoy your life in style.”

In fact, the look and function of teak has become so universally appealing that it’s being incorporated into the design theme for many indoor applications as well; from home dining rooms to corporate boardrooms, from resort lobbies to luxury indoor spas, from government retreats to college campus recreation centers, from restaurant seating to casual pubs and elite social clubs.

But —as a word of caution— although various so-called teak furnishings can be found in many major “big box” and interior décor stores, not everything called teak is made of a high grade, sustainable plantation-grown wood. It is often a cheaper, poorly manufactured, lower quality product. It may look good initially, but it doesn’t hold up to normal use. And, if for frequent outdoor use exposed to the elements, it just doesn’t last.

So, architects, builders, interior designers and end-use consumers have learned that it can be best to go direct to a reputable manufacturer like the aforementioned Westminster Teak company that manages its own operations on site in Indonesia and uses only the highest quality teak from controlled and sustainable teak forests. In this way, they know they’re getting a reliable product with natural durability and longevity that, with proper minimal care, can be used and enjoyed for many, many years to come; whether left outdoors or stored indoors.

Proper Care is the secret to teaks’ longevity and appeal. After all, despite its genetically engineered superiority, teak is still a natural wood product, and is subject to excessive use and abuse by both Man and Nature. Although new teak’s natural light golden tint ages gracefully to a regal silver-grayish patina tone over time, it still needs periodic cleaning and refreshing. Plus, some people prefer to retain teak’s original slightly honey-gold wood coloring or even stain it to match other furnishings.

Unfortunately, traditional protection for teak furnishings has been a combination of heavy PVC vinyl material covers and non-biodegradable chemical-based cleaning and preserving products. Those vinyl coverings are notoriously eco-unfriendly. And, because they aren’t “breathable”, moisture and other corrosive elements can get trapped beneath the coverings causing mold, surface rot, discoloration, decay of wood and/or rust on any metal surfaces. Even items stored over the winter in garages, sheds or other outbuildings can fall victim to the same damages when draped with traditional covers. In addition, those vinyl-based products aren’t easily recyclable and often end up in trash dumps for years.

 

Commonly-used cleaning, staining and wood preserving products have often consisted of heavy oils, chemicals and harsh detergent soaps to clean, treat or color-preserve teak furniture. Many of those products can clog teak’s natural grain breathability, ruin the wood’s texture, cause an undesirable discoloration of the wood and can even result in the kind of serious wood damage that these products were intended to prevent.

So, where does a major teak furniture manufacturer like Westminster Teak turn to offer their customers the most reliable eco-friendly cleaning and care products? They look for a company that shares their same environmentally-conscious operating philosophy. And that led Westminster Teak to a unique eco-friendly company called KoverRoos®.

Inspired by and cleverly named for the protective covering provided by a mother kangaroo’s pouch, KoverRoos® was founded with a mission of providing only “breathable” and eco-friendly outdoor coverings plus an equally eco-friendly line of protective wood furnishings products called Golden Care.

Their vision from the outset was based on a “commitment to quality without taxing the environment”. So, they set out to create their own unique line of covers using fabrics that are made of 100% recyclable materials (LDPE and HDPE). Their four distinctive types of fabrics can even be recycled in curbside recycling bins when the covers wear out and without any negative impact on the environment.

To complement their covers and bring even better care to their teak furniture manufacturing customers like Westminster Teak, they also took on the Golden Care brand of products. As the name suggests, Golden Care embraces both the highest level of product quality and the essential promise of lasting wood care and protection especially for teak furnishings.

According to KoverRoos® sales and marketing representative, Maggie Kao, her company first discovered the Golden Care line at a trade show back in 2002 and became American distributor the following year. They were immediately impressed with the Golden Care’s strong adherence to nothing but environmentally-safe cleaning and conditioning teak wood products. And they were equally pleased to learn that Golden Care line is also completely safe for people and animals; which is a big deal for people and their pets when enjoying the same outdoor settings together as their teak furniture.

“Golden Care’s teak products fit perfectly with our KoverRoos®’ sustainability mission,” notes Kao. “All are premium quality, water-based, non-flammable, solvent-free and totally safe for use around homes, pools, gardens and play areas. And they also make fabric protection and cleaning products that are ideal for our line of covers.”

Turns out that Golden Care has over 25 years serving the global outdoor living industry with a variety of innovative care and maintenance solutions. Their lab scientists are constantly engaged in R&D while working alongside outdoor furniture manufacturers in Asia to identify emerging trends and develop products using formulas that can deliver maximum protection while remaining strictly eco-friendly. And, while teak furnishings are a key focus for Golden Care, they have various products for a variety of woods and metal surfaced outdoor furnishings.

Westminster Teak began sourcing Golden Care water-based products through KoverRoos® several years ago after discovering their mutually shared standards for sustainable, environmentally safe products and the efficacy those products actually provide.

For example, Golden Care’s Teak Protector guards against mildew, discoloring and helps preserve that “new teak” honey-gold look. The Golden Care Teak Shield helps protect the wood from stains. For those who prefer to let the wood age gracefully to that gray patina color, there’s the Golden Care Teak Cleaner. And, for teak which may have browned over time, the Golden Care Instant Gray turns that brown back to a naturally aged teak gray.

Since Westminster Teak has a line of stainless-steel framed teak furnishings, the Golden Care Stainless Steel Care Kit is perfect for preventing and removing rust. And, for their own fabric cushions, protective covers and outdoor umbrellas, the Golden Care Fabric Cleaner and Protector products do the job perfectly.

As it turned out, the close working relationship between Westminster Teak and KoverRoos® —along with their mutual recommendation for Golden Care products— ultimately resulted in KoverRoos® purchasing several pieces of teak furnishings for a KoverRoos® photo and video shoot. The shoot featured dining chairs, tables and backless benches from Westminster Teak’s Horizon and Maya Collections. And it provides an excellent visual representation of both Westminster Teak’s beautiful teak furnishings as well as both company’s shared commitment towards operating environmentally sustainable, eco-friendly business models.

Notably, we’ve come a long way from the crude outdoor living conditions and furniture which marked the era of our beloved Flintstone ancestors. And, since then, the demand for superior hardwoods in the design and construction of our homes, buildings and furnishings has both endured and increased over these many ages. However, the biggest challenge beginning with the dawn of global furniture manufacturing and distribution has been, “How do we conserve and sustain our forests while meeting that ever-increasing demand?”

Fortunately —by sourcing the right suppliers— you can comfortably surrender to that timeless allure of teak with full assurance that you’re getting the highest quality product while preserving an eco-friendly balance of style and sustainability. And, with proper care, you can be assured that your teak furnishings will age as gracefully as the wood itself.

If you are a previous or current customer and would like to be featured in our “Trade Stories” series then please contact us!