by: Malcolm D Kay
Not too long ago, the vast majority of outdoor furniture was all made of teak. Teak has proved to be an ideal lumber species for outdoor furniture, due to its high durability, ease of working with machine tools, its low coefficient of radial and tangential expansion (which reduces potential problems in twisting, or swelling when wet), it's attractive colour and good working properties.
But such widespread use of teak, including for marine decking, has come at a considerable environmental cost.
The once great forests of South East Asia have been decimated to the extent that legally logged teak is now only available in very limited quantities, which is reflected in its high price.
But unfortunately, illegal logging is still rampant and in many areas of South East Asia, ensuring its continuing supply to the furniture trade.
Plantations of teak have now been established in a number of countries including Costa Rica for example (presumably planted in most cases where the great forests once existed). But this plantation teak is harvested at a much younger age that has traditionally been the case, so caution should be taken in assuming that the properties of such younger lumber (including durability) will be the same as old growth teak.
Many responsible furniture manufacturers will now only used teak which has been certified by such independent bodies as the Forest Stewardship Council.
If sustainability of forests and sound forestry practices are an important consideration in your choice of furniture, then look for the FSC logo or ask your retailer to provide documentation to show from where the lumber was sourced. Note however that even if the
tag accompanying any wood furniture claims that the wood is sourced from sustainable forests, unfortunately there is no firm guarantee that this is true.
You may be able to make some verification by checking the FSC website, which indicates which companies and even manufacturers have been given official accreditation by the FSC.
In recent years there has been a proliferation of different lumber species used in outdoor furniture as more manufacturing plants are set up in places such as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, in particular.
Unfortunately, a lot of furniture is now produced with price as the overriding consideration, with scant consideration being given to the durability or in service performance of the furniture. And all too often these days the name of the actual wood species in not even displayed ? except perhaps a bland statement like ?manufactured from durable hardwood species?. And of course a lot of lumber is transported to furniture makers located far from the original source of the lumber, making it even harder to track the actual supply country or region.
Thus there is often no guarantee that the furniture, which may look magnificent in a covered showroom, will survive the rigours of outdoor use, year after year, fully exposed to the elements.
Apart from the failure to state what timber species has been used, sometimes a wood species is quoted which is virtually unknown outside its country of origin and data on its durability or other properties is either nonexistent or extremely difficult to locate.
Although we have only referred above to the durability factor, this not the only property you should be concerned with. Many species of lumber, although very durable, are also prone to twisting, warping and cracking under adverse climatic conditions, particularly where thin wood section are concerned. Again teak has proved to be a very stable species in this regard but other species are not necessarily so stable.
Whilst the lower costs and attractive colour of some outdoor furniture can certainly be appealing, we strongly suggest you should always ask your retailer to provide the name of the lumber species used and from which country it was sourced.
If this species is not familiar to you, no other data is provided, and your independent research fails to locate data on such species, you should think carefully before making your purchase..
Good quality outdoor furniture should give many, many years of service and its higher initial cost will inevitably be repaid in terms of a longer service life and a much higher quality product.
About The Author
Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For more information see http://www.swiftdeck.com.
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Office Furniture: Save Money When Setting Up Your Office
Office Furniture: Save Money When Setting Up Your Office
by: Mary West
Getting the right office furniture is part and parcel of setting up a business operation. That applies to simple home offices as well as large multi-city enterprises and everything in between.
Here are several things you can do to ensure that you buy office furniture as economically as possible.
* The first step is to plan your office. Write down your exact needs. Figure out what furniture you will need at the minimum. These are things which if absent will impair your ability to run the business.
Here's the most important rule for buying office furniture economically -- everything other than the essentials you identified above is an optional extra. You may decide to buy it or not depending on your budget. Buy only what you truly need.
* Draw out a sketch of the office and where each piece of furniture will go. This is a vital step in cutting down waste...
Office Furniture: Save Money When Setting Up Your Office
Bedroom furniture > Office Furniture: Save Money When Setting Up Your Office
Should I Finish My Log Furniture?
Should I Finish My Log Furniture?
by: Mike Messer
The natural look of log furniture is one of the reasons it is becoming a more popular home d?cor not only for the log home market, but other home styles as well. We are frequently asked this question. I want to keep my log furniture looking as natural as possible, should I have it finished? The answer to this is in our opinion is yes. Finishing can change the appearance somewhat depending on the type of wood or finish, but the rewards are well worth it in the long run.
The oils in our hands are easily absorbed by unfinished wood. Of course our hands are never perfectly clean and the dirt is also absorbed right into the wood with the oil leaving soiled areas where your hands frequently touch the furniture. On a bed this is usually either the headboard or the footboard. On dressers, of course the drawer pulls and the edge around the top gets the most handling. If an item is finished, washing is easy....
Should I Finish My Log Furniture?
Bedroom furniture > Should I Finish My Log Furniture?
How To Generate Ideas For Your Bedroom Design?
How To Generate Ideas For Your Bedroom Design?
by: Shrinivas Vaidya
Dear friends,
So, you want to design your bedroom. Hmm... looks like you are serious about it.
Lets' get started quickly. whenever I hear someone say he/she wants to design/decorate a bedroom a lot of things come to my mind.
But, let me clear one thing, design and decorating are two different aspects. When I say design, I mean a whole lot bigger perspective. Design includes a lot more maturity in terms of how you perceive a space from within.
Of course I will cover more about design in some other article. Decoration is more close to everyday actions that can be taken in order to change or alter a space. Decoration deals with accessories used in a space. Very small things, such as curtain rods, their color, lampshades, small statues, table cloths, light fittings, are all parts of the detailing.
It is not that design does not deal with these aspects...
How To Generate Ideas For Your Bedroom Design?
Bedroom furniture > How To Generate Ideas For Your Bedroom Design?
Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
by: Malcolm D Kay
Not too long ago, the vast majority of outdoor furniture was all made of teak. Teak has proved to be an ideal lumber species for outdoor furniture, due to its high durability, ease of working with machine tools, its low coefficient of radial and tangential expansion (which reduces potential problems in twisting, or swelling when wet), it's attractive colour and good working properties.
But such widespread use of teak, including for marine decking, has come at a considerable environmental cost.
The once great forests of South East Asia have been decimated to the extent that legally logged teak is now only available in very limited quantities, which is reflected in its high price.
But unfortunately, illegal logging is still rampant and in many areas of South East Asia, ensuring its continuing supply to the furniture trade.
Plantations...
Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Bedroom furniture > Outdoor Wood Furniture ? Check The Wood Species Before Purchasing
Should You Buy Todder Size Furniture
Should You Buy Todder Size Furniture
by: Bob Benson
Your baby has grown into a full-fledged toddler and is ready for a ?big girl? or ?big boy? bed. Have you seen the latest toddler furniture? It?s cute!
But you really don?t have to spend a lot to make your toddler comfortable in his or her bedroom.
Your first decision will be whether to buy a toddler bed. The toddler bed is a piece of furniture sized just right for babies who are too big for their crib. Most use the mattress from the crib, however, so they are not actually that much bigger in size. Toddler beds just get the child accustomed to sleeping without rails all around and is low enough that if the child rolls out, he won?t get hurt.
Has your child grown quickly? If so, you might think about skipping the toddler bed as furniture and buy a twin size bed instead. You can purchase rails made of cloth and plastic that do a fine job of keeping the child in the bed and allowing...
Should You Buy Todder Size Furniture
Bedroom furniture > Should You Buy Todder Size Furniture
Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture
Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture
by: Lee Rubenstein
If you love the tang of salt in the air, the soft whisper of nearby waves, and the crunch of sand between your toes, what better way could there be to create a workspace that you truly enjoy using than by decorating with tropical office furniture.
Tropical surroundings inspire creativity and create a relaxed and productive atmosphere for your home office or place of business.
Innovative pieces of office furniture ?tropical? - such as lovely computer armoires and printer cabinets - give your workplace an elegant look with the practical benefit of helping you to keep organized.
Here is a guide to choosing Hawaiian computer armoires, Bali file cabinets, and other types of office furniture, tropical style.
Materials Used in Office Furniture - Tropical Vegetation and Construction Techniques
Three terms used to describe materials that are commonly...
Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture
Bedroom furniture > Decorating your Workplace with Tropical Office Furniture