Solid wood flooring undeniably offers an elegant, luxury look to your home. Among all kinds of solid flooring, the noblest of all is teak. If you are in search of a high quality solid wood flooring for your home that can last for generations and add value to your property as time goes by, solid teak flooring is definitely the right choice. Understanding its most prominent qualities is the first step for an expert homeowner to make an educated selection.

1. BEAUTY

Native to tropical parts of Southeast Asia, teak is also grown throughout the tropics, for example, Wooderra's sustainably renewable sources in Panama. Solid teak wood is scientifically called Tectona Grandis. The colors are radiant, range from dark golden yellow to a dark mocha with exposure. It gives off a pleasant scent when freshly cut. Once sanded, solid teak flooring strips to a rich complexion and with age, it shows beautiful streaks of various shades. Teak's elegance is pleasing to the eyes and feels smooth on your bare feet.

2. STRENGTH AND DURABILITY

Teak wood is comparably softer than most hardwoods, yet strong and dimensionally stable. Solid teak flooring can withstand inclement weather including humid conditions and intense sunlight exposure.

Solid teak flooring is known for its water resistance thanks to the natural oils present in mature teak hard wood. The mechanism of natural teak oil works to fill all the micro tubes and prevents humidity from penetrating the grain and altering the cellular structure. For this reason, teak flooring is the least likely to be prone to contraction and expansion.

Additionally, the oil content acts as a safeguard for this particular wood flooring, protecting it from fungi, bacteria, and termite attacks, which are primary enemies to other hardwood species. Furthermore, solid teak flooring's strength is owed to its silicon content that prevents oxidation from contact with metals over a substantial length of time. This is why teak flooring has been acclaimed as a durable choice for flooring, which can last for hundreds of years with proper maintenance.

3. SOLID PREFINISHED FLOORING OR SOLID UNFINISHED FLOORING?

Note that teak wood can be made into prefinished flooring and unfinished flooring. The common understanding is that solid wood flooring can be sanded and refinished multiple times throughout its lifetime, which is a fantastic attribute.

On one hand, prefinished solid flooring is very likely to lose its appearance characteristics because it has already been factory-finished and coated before arriving at your home.

On the other hand, unfinished solid flooring remains with all of its characteristics as it arrives in a natural state.

If you want to feel the authentic characteristics that don't get lost in the factory-processed stage, for example here, the diverse grains of solid teak flooring, sometimes wavy, sometimes straight, sometimes rippling, or its texture which is a little bit coarse, unfinished solid teak flooring is what you should aim for. Installation needs to be done by flooring professionals but the value and benefits totally pay off afterwards. When unfinished flooring is professionally installed and finished in place after installation there will be no micro bevel lines between each plank that you will always have when prefinished flooring is installed. During the installation and maintenance of either kind, which will involve refinishing, it is important to note that teak dusk might cause skin irritations for some people.

4. WHERE TO INSTALL

For several hundreds of years, teak wood has been used for home construction, furniture building and most impressively, shipbuilding. Thus, the fact that it can endure harsh conditions and constant water contact at sea for centuries makes teak hardwood the ideal choice for flooring to be installed in humid areas such as bathrooms or kitchens. Basically, this particular wood flooring can work in almost any room. Teak is the most dimensional stable type of flooring for areas that may have more moisture but lower traffic. High heels or spikey sport shoes are not recommended on teak flooring or any other wood flooring.

5. CARING TECHNIQUES

It is super easy to care for solid teak flooring. To maintain its great form, vacuuming or using a soft mop on a daily basis are simple solutions. It may be also advisable to use oil on teak flooring depending on how it is finished. With proper care you can retain its natural sheen which beforehand will require a clean and dry status of the flooring as a prep step for oil treatment and specific cleaner for teak flooring is also needed. The number of oil coats should depend on how rich and thorough the finishing you wish for your solid teak flooring.

Recap on the qualities of solid teak flooring

1. Varieties of alluring colors that evolve as time goes by

2. Smooth feel and gentle on your feet

3. Natural oil content makes for superb durability

4. Silicon content generates great strength.

5. If you want quality, durability, elegance and value of solid teak flooring, the clear best choice is to install unfinished solid teak flooring and to sand and finish it in place.

6. Strong resistance in humid areas and best placed at low traffic areas

7. Vacuuming or mopping is good enough, though oil treatment is also recommended.

Interested in more information? Check out Wooderra's best teak and other wood products.