Teak Flooring

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• Teak Flooring

Teak Flooring

Replacing old carpeting or vinyl floors with hardwood floors is an effective way to add to the beauty and value of your home. Hardwood floors are one of the first things that visitors to your home will notice, whether guests or prospective buyers, and a new hardwood floor in your foyer or living spaces can have a stunning effect.

Oak and maple are among the most popular woods for hardwood flooring, but more people are turning to exotic imports. Teakwood, which is grown in India and throughout Southeast Asia, is a very popular wood for floors and paneling in Asian homes, and is available as an import through dealers around the world. Teak is not the hardest of woods, with a Janka rating of 1000 (about the same as black walnut, and harder than most pines). However, Brazilian teak (cumaru), which is another species, is one of the hardest woods available. Because of high global demand, and deforestation of old-growth teak forests in Southeast Asia, teak is now commonly grown in plantations and its export strictly controlled.

Teakwood varies in color from a rich, mellow gold to a brownish red; the heartwood is darker than the sapwood. With exposure to sunlight, teakwood will darken over time, more dramatically than with other woods. The grain is tightly packed and sometimes wavy. You should determine whether the teakwood you are purchasing is from older slow-growth trees; this wood will contain natural oils, which effectively seal the internal layers of wood. Floors from such wood are resistant to decay, and resistant to insect damage, notably from termites. Plantation-grown teak trees, on the other hand, are harvested at a younger age; wood harvested from plantation trees is not as durable and must be dried in a kiln.

Importantly, teakwood is more durable and resistant to moisture than most other hardwood species. Exposure to rain and sunshine is not as damaging to teakwood as it is to other woods; teakwood must be treated, of course, but is commonly used as exterior paneling, where it is exposed to all the elements. And teak requires minimal care. Oiling the floorboards before finishing can bring out different colors and shades, but because of teak’s natural colors, staining or oiling is not necessary.

One disadvantage of teakwood flooring is the expense. Because the wood is imported, and because old-growth wood is rare and strictly controlled, installing solid teak hardwood floors is beyond most budgets. However, engineered teakwood floors are widely available. An engineered board has a thin top layer of real teak hardwood, with a composite of inexpensive woods as a base layer underneath. Engineered wood floors are strong and, because the top layer is genuine teak, can be just as beautiful as a solid teakwood floor. However, engineered floors cannot be refinished as often as solid hardwood.

Brazilian teak, as mentioned, is a different species of wood that grows in South and Central America. Brazilian teak shares many of the same characteristics as Southeast Asian teak, such as its range of color and natural resistance to weather. However, Brazilian teak is much harder, with a Janka rating of 3,540.

Installing a teakwood floor is similar to installing other hardwood floors; your subfloor, however, should be plywood, so if you only have a concrete or other subfloor, you may need to install plywood first. Consult with your dealer. Teakwood planks (more than 3 inches in width) or strips (less than 3 inches in width) are sold with tongue and groove, so the boards snap together; nails should be driven through the tongues to affix the boards to the subfloor, as with other floor installations.

Teakwood floors are generally low maintenance, but they still require routine care. Use throw rugs or area rugs in high-traffic areas (with nonslip pads underneath), and attach felt pads to furniture legs, which may scratch your floors when the furniture is moved. And keep your floor swept on a regular basis. If you use a vacuum, avoid a power nozzle attachment, as the rotating brush may scratch the floor. Get into the habit of removing your street shoes when you enter your house, as the dirt from the soles of your shoes will act like sandpaper when you track over your floors.

Although teak is more resistant to moisture than other hardwoods, you should still wipe up spills promptly. Do not wet-mop your floors; only use cleaning products recommended by your dealer for teakwood floors. If your floors are exposed to direct sunlight through a window, then close the blinds on the window during the brightest hours of the day, as the ultraviolet rays from the sun can discolor your floors over time. And, in the dry winter months, use a humidifier to keep your floors from cracking.

With proper care, your teakwood floors will last a lifetime and more.

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