Teak vs. Shorea Outdoor Furniture

Teak wood has been the wood of choice for constructing patio furniture for centuries. A hardwood from the orient, teak is widely used in shipbuilding, furniture, flooring, cabinetwork, and many other uses. It is very resistant to fungi and termites, as well as rot and decay, due to its hardness and the natural oils present in the wood. The drawback to teak wood is that the supplies are very limited around the world, and thus it is relatively expensive.

Shorea wood, from the Balau family of wood, has many of the same properties of teak, but grows naturally and plentifully in the Pacific Rim countries, making it considerably less expensive than teak. Shorea weathers about the same as teak, but will crack and check more than teak. It has many of the same natural oils, making it rot and decay resistant, as well resistant to fungi and termites.

Both teak and shorea require the same maintenance. Both can be left outside unmaintained, in which case they will weather to a silvery grey color over a period of 1-2 years. If you wish to maintain the wood’s original golden tone, a teak oil or care product should be applied twice a year. The needed care products vary depending on the state of the furniture. Both teak and shorea last a very long time outdoors, and will likely “outlive” the purchaser of the furniture, making the purchase of teak or shorea furniture a lifetime investment.

Shorea wood is actually denser and heavier than teak. Some basic statistics*:

While teak furniture will likely always be the premium wood in outdoor patio and garden furniture, shorea outdoor furniture is an extremely competitive value, with very similar properties of teak, but a price tag that is typically half that of teak furniture.

*Statistics from Wood Explorer, an encyclopedia of over 1,600 types of wood

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