Teak
Burma Teak
Plantation-grown Burma teak, air-dried for eighteen months before it is cut.
Teak earns its reputation from its own chemistry. The natural oils and silica in the timber make it resistant to water, insects and rot without any treatment at all — which is why teak decks survive on ships and why a teak frame left outdoors for thirty years is still structurally sound. Ritzlane uses plantation-grown Burma teak, air-dried for eighteen months to a moisture content of 12% before it is cut, because kiln-drying is faster but leaves internal stresses that show up as splits two summers later. Left alone, the surface weathers from honey to a silver-grey patina in roughly nine months. Sealed annually, it stays honey indefinitely. Neither is better; they are different decisions about what you want the piece to look like in five years.
Specification
| Density | 655 kg/m³ |
|---|---|
| Moisture content at cut | 12 % |
| Air-drying period | 18 months |
| Natural oil content | High — no treatment required |
| Time to silver patina | 9 months |
| Expected outdoor lifespan | 25+ years |
Care
Wash with mild soap and water twice a year. To keep the honey tone, apply teak sealer annually before the monsoon. To let it silver, do nothing at all — the grey is a surface layer, not decay, and it can be sanded back at any point.
Common questions
Does teak outdoor furniture need to be oiled?
No. Teak contains enough natural oil to protect itself outdoors indefinitely, and oiling is purely an aesthetic choice about colour. Applying teak oil (as opposed to teak sealer) can actually encourage mildew in humid climates, because the oil feeds surface mould. If you want to keep the honey colour, use a sealer rather than an oil, once a year.
Why does teak turn grey outdoors?
Ultraviolet light breaks down lignin in the top 0.1 mm of the surface, leaving a silver-grey layer. It is cosmetic, not structural: the timber underneath is unchanged, and a light sand returns the original colour at any point.