Imagine yourself walking over to your newly installed custom pull-out cabinetry or to place your designer casserole dish on your gorgeous granite countertops. What kind of surface would be suitable for your steps? If you’re going all-out for your kitchen remodel, part of your budget should be devoted to teak flooring. Popular for applications from outdoor furniture and boat-building to picture frames and decorative shelving, teak lumber is well-suited to domestic and commercial flooring, as well.
One quality that makes teak flooring such a sought-after commodity for updated kitchens and throughout trend-setting homes is its durability. As the hub of your home, your well-designed kitchen needs a flooring option that won’t crack, stain, rot, or scratch easily. If teak can withstand the wave-tossed conditions of the salty sea, you can be sure that it can handle all the bang-ups and intense wear from even the busiest kitchen.
Among other hardwood flooring options, teak stands out for its strength. There are tests to measure the amount of force necessary to cause damage to wood, and in such hardness tests, teak typically ranks higher than oak, a famously durable option. Whether your family includes active children, amateur athletes who sometimes forget that they’re indoors, a slew of guests, or just overly playful pets, teak flooring is an excellent option for you.
If your kitchen opens out into a 3-seasons room or fully exposed deck, teak flooring is a particularly appropriate choice. The wood’s temperature resistance makes it ideal for outdoor applications.
In addition to this wood’s unmatched strength and hardness, its aesthetic qualities make it a stylish yet timeless choice. Its warm tones range from golden to reddish brown, offsetting its tight grain patterns. Over time, the wood mellows into a comforting golden brown.
Maintaining your new teak flooring can include many options. Without maintenance, though, it will retain its structural integrity and stability for years to come. Outdoor areas will fade over time to a silvery shade, if left untreated, though. To retain the newly sawn coloring of teak, periodic application of teak oil can help. Applying stain can give the wood a more uniform coloring, but that option is nearly irreversible.
An added perk of teak flooring in homes- and in kitchens, in particular- is its natural non-slip surface. Caused by the wear that occurs in the softer growth bands of old-growth teak, this prized characteristic can be compromised by sanding or using various cleaning compounds or preservatives. Instead, you can rely on the natural oil just below the white surface to preserve the wood on its own. Teak is so low maintenance, in fact, that if you over-maintain your teak flooring, you will reduce its longevity.
J. Gibson McIlvain carries premier FEQ (First European Quality) teak lumber, prized for its consistent grain patterns and coloring, and we specialize in the old growth teak that hails from Southeast Asia. Our teak, just like the rest of our lumber, is some of the best the world has to offer. With over 200 years of experience, McIlvain is better-equipped than anyone else to answer your lumber-related questions, so visit them online today or check out these selections from the McIlvain Company blog:
- The Lumber Drying Process
- How the Lacey Act Plans to Hold YOU Accountable for Illegal Lumber
- Why Buy Lumber From the Importer of Record?
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