Reclaimed Teak Advantages
Reclaimed teak is growing in popularity as a crafting material, especially for building furniture. Reclaimed wood was originally used for some other purpose, or was produced as the scraps or leftovers from a larger project. Since teak is such a durable wood, it can be reclaimed from a variety of sources. This includes buildings slated for demolition, large furniture manufacturers, and disused train tracks, where furniture-quality teak was sometimes used as railroad ties and preserved by the surrounding soil for decades. As a crafting material, reclaimed teak has some unique advantages.
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Low Cost of Material
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Reclaimed teak is, by definition, a byproduct of some other building project. It is usually simply scraps of material that are too small for the original owner to use. Therefore, repurposed teak can generally be purchased at a much lower price than from a supplier. This type of arrangement saves the original owner the trouble and cost of disposing of the scraps and allows them to make a profit from what would otherwise be a waste product.
Sustainability
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Teak is one of the slowest-growing commercially-used trees on Earth. Its famed hardness and durability is the result of this slow growth and the tightly-packed wood grain it forms. Furniture-grade teak wood requires old-growth teak forests, which grow only in certain parts of the world. The demand for teak worldwide has placed a great deal of pressure on teak forests, and the same slow growth which makes them vulnerable to overlogging renders them an unattractive choice for tree farming. Reclaimed teak helps to relieve some of this pressure.
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Versatile Finish
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Much reclaimed teak has been in use for some time before it is reclaimed. It is therefore easy to find supplies of teak that are pre-weathered. Weathered hardwood is a popular look for certain styles of furniture or paneling, and it is often difficult to achieve with freshly-harvested wood. If a weathered look is not desired, weathered teak can easily be refinished to a smooth lower layer. The density and durability of teak means that it can easily be restored to a like-new finish.
Character
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Reclaimed woods are valued for their unique character. They are not suitable for most mass-produced designs, since each piece of reclaimed wood must be thoughtfully worked into the larger project. This means that any piece of furniture which appears to be made of reclaimed wood suggests that it was built by a craftsman rather than turned out on an assembly line. Preserving the hallmarks of reclaimed wood, such as weathering, uneven finishes, and signs of wear can make the resulting furniture more attractive to many customers.
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References
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