Teak Furniture FAQ
There are a lot of misconceptions about Teak Furniture that we hope this page can clear up. Here are some common questions
Q - Is Teak Furniture Solid Teak?
A - For the most part no, MCM Teak furniture is almost never solid teak. We'd say 98-99% of all Scandinavian and North America Teak Furniture is some type of veneer over an MDF board, plywood or particle board. While there certainly are some furniture items that are solid Teak, and we have sold several, these mainly are Coffee Tables, Dining Tables and of course Dining Chairs.
That isn't to say though that solid teak isn't used in a lot of furniture. Moldings, End Caps, Drawer pulls are often solid teak. For example the dining table seen at the right is a Teak Veneer over MDF but has solid teak caps run along the edges to protect against bumps and bruises. The legs as well are solid teak.
When we refer to teak furniture please assume we mean a veneer over an MDF or other type of board. If we have a piece of furniture in the store that is solid teak, we will always refer to it as "Solid Teak"
Q - Is the veneer used real Teak Wood?
A - For the most part yes. The veneer will be a thin piece of teak in various degrees of thickness. Older furniture will generally have a thicker veneer, and as Teak began to become scarce in the 60's the veneer became much thinner as well. Then as we moved into the 80's though, wood veneer was often replaced by a type of contact paper, almost akin to a wall paper that looked like teak. This became prominent on bookcases and dressers. Also later on a teak laminate could be used and we have seen this on a couple dining tables.
Q - Should Teak Furniture Be Oiled?
A - The real answer here is maybe! It really depends on the piece. Most Teak furniture leaving the factories in Denmark were coated with catalyzed lacquer. There would be really no need to oil them as the oil would just sit on top of the lacquer top coat. Over time though, that lacquer top coat can break down or fade, or even sometimes mostly disappear completely. In these cases you may find some oil will add a nice look to your furniture, or even hide some scratches. If you have a solid teak piece, again it would depend on the state of any topcoat. We have had coffee tables in that were solid teak, but never had any lacquer applied originally and it is important these get oiled as our very dry Alberta climate does is not a friend to Teak. Also solid teak on chairs and dining table legs can benefit from oiling.
Q - Why is some teak darker than others?
A - Originally this goes back to where the teak originates. 50's and 60's teak was harvested from old growth forests in Asia and this teak was much darker. Then as teak became scarce farmed teak began being used and was cut from much younger trees which is lighter in color. Of course as manufacturing processes improved factories could also "tone" the teak to make it look darker.
Q - How can I tell if a piece is solid teak?
A - A solid piece of teak furniture will usually have two traits you can use to identify it. First it will not be a solid slab of teak, it will be planks jointed together. So you should see signs of what might look like a hardwood floor on it. Careful though, later makers started making their veneer look like it is "planked". The best way to tell is to look at the ends. You should be easily able to see the grain running in a natural way, not opposite to what a real board would look like.
Q - Does MDF Suck?
A - Ha ha no not at all, unless maybe we are referring to a certain Swedish Manufacturer or current items made in Asia. If you look at the condition of how some of the older Danish MDF furniture has faired over 50 years you will quickly see that it is a very good product. In fact, in some ways better than solid wood. It doesn't warp, and is not susceptible to cracking from Alberta's dry climate. I myself have a solid teak hutch that sits on my credenza, and unfortunately over time that solid piece of teak has bowed downward on the ends, an MDF piece would not do this.
