Wood: going beyond teak

“There’s something about wood furniture around a beautiful landscape or even a minimal pool that makes sense,” Joseph Batchelor says. “It is comfortable to the touch in the heat, and it looks substantial and permanent.”

Teak is the most popular wood for outdoor furniture.

“Its density and high oil content keep it from drying and splitting, and termites don’t like it,” Ron Safran says.

In the last few seasons, manufacturers have carved teak into more complex forms. The Curran catalog’s Palms Lounger uses pressure-molded teak slats to create an Eames-influenced chaise, and designer William Emmerson channels 1970s curvy California studio woodworking in his Ab Ovo teak collection for the L.A. showroom Emmerson Troop.

Alternative woods include Andean cherry and mahogany, which are almost always oiled or painted when used for outdoor furniture. Both need to be treated regularly; if not, the woods’ red hues will turn silver. Look for marine-quality or polyurethane finishes, which prevent sun and water damage.

Nyatoh is a less expensive wood from Asia that resembles cherry. It’s naturally susceptible to termites, but when treated with preservatives, it’s quite durable. Environmentalists, however, have complained that the harvesting of nyatoh has contributed to deforestation, and some major retailers have curbed its use or stopped selling it entirely.

Ipe is a strong, dense wood that’s increasingly popular because it can be sustainably harvested from forests in South America. If dried properly, the wood is resistant to splintering, insects, mold and fire, and it needs no sealing.

Pine furniture is usually inexpensive but lacks the heft of other woods. Its lightness makes it more susceptible to dings. It should be painted or stained and sealed to reduce the threat from rot and insects.

Designer Carlos Motta recycles Brazilian peroba into chic rustic pieces sold at the Espasso showroom in the Pacific Design Center. Peroba, a common framing timber, is just one example of reclaimed woods that are moving outdoors.

Jamie Durie advises consumers to look for products made with Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood. “These days we all have to be very responsible in order to eliminate timber products that are from illegal sources, which threaten the world’s forests,” he says.

Regardless of the variety of wood, Safran says, the best quality pieces are constructed with wooden dowels instead of metal screws.

Maintenance is another consideration. Unpainted, untreated woods will turn gray over time. Preserving teak’s honey color requires “regular cleaning, sealants and oil rubdowns,” Batchelor says, perhaps not the best choice unless you are the “obsessive car wash-and-wax type.”