Characteristics

  • Other Names: Teak, Tecca, Caribbean Teak, Black Heart Teak
  • Origin: Native Trinidad, W.I.
  • Appearance: Heartwood light golden yellow that transitions to darker brown with exposure to sunlight. Can vary in color when freshly milled showing blotches and streaks in various colors. Sapwood is usually pale yellow to creamy white. Grain straight and sometimes wavy. The Texture is coarse and uneven with a waxy feel due to high silica content.
  • Density: Janka scale hardness is 1,005 for kiln dry material.
  • Weight: 3.5 lbs. per board foot
  • Drying: Dries very slowly with little to no degrade.
  • Workability: Easily worked when knives, blades, and cutters are very sharp. May have blunting effect over short period of time. Glues exceptionally well. May sometimes cause dermatitis to some individuals with skin allergies.
  • Durability: Heartwood is very durable with resistance to termites, decay or rot.
  • Preservation: Highly resistant to preservative treatments and stains
  • Finishing: Finishes well, Teak oil is a standard finish.

Quality & Grade

  • Second Quality – Ungraded
  • Plain Sawn / Flat Sawn
  • Some Sapwood (Usually on one side/face only – Usually less than 5%)
  • Knots and Defects are occasionally present in rough cut material.
  • Golden Brown Wild to Wavy Inconsistent Grain
  • Air Dried to 10-12% Moisture Content
  • Limited in Widths Wider than 8 inches

Trinidad Teak Wood vs Plantation Teak Wood

Caribbean Teak & Lumber Supply, L.L.C., only harvests Slow Organic Growth Teak Wood Lumber.  Teak fields in which our trees are harvested from are not irrigated nor are they fertilized.  This prevents our trees from growing rapidly and having tabbed growth rings, ensuring that its finished product will hold its genuine beauty. Color variation of the wood is a rich dark golden brown. Equally important, the teak trees we harvest are a minimum of 35-40 years old. Since the tree is not as mature as a 100 year old Burmese Teak tree the grain tends to be wild to wavy. Knots and light pithing may be present in some pieces. Average widths of Trinidad Teak lumber is 6-8″.

Our Trinidad Teak was originally derived from Burmese seeds and cultivated on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean over 100 years ago.

Plantation Teak derives from various parts of the world, mainly Central America. Plantations irrigate and fertilize Teak trees they. In doing so it forces the Teak tree to grow rapidly which results in larger more spaced out growth rings. These plantations also harvest their Teak trees at a young age of approximately 25 years old. Subsequently, the Teak lumber it yields is usually less dense than Trinidad or Burmese Teak. It is also lighter in color and the Teak boards usually contain a greater amount of sapwood. In general the average width of Plantation Teak Lumber is 4-6″. Ultimately, Plantation Teak lacks certain characteristics that make genuine Teak wood so unique.

Surfaced Trinidad Teak Wood

We can surface your Trinidad Teak Hardwood order in two different ways.

S2S (Surfaced Two Sides) – The Trinidad Teak Wood board(s) will be surfaced on both sides/faces to a smooth finish. Both edges remain rough and will need to be straightened by the customer or woodworker.
S4S (Surfaced Four Sides) – The Trinidad Teak Wood Board(s) will be surfaced on all four sides to a smooth finish. The board will be straight and ready for glue up.

Light sanding on surfaced sides/faces will be required by the customer or woodworker once the project is near complete.

Additional lead time may be required if your order requires surfacing.

ROUGH CUT TRINIDAD TEAK WOOD

Our Rough Trinidad Teak Hardwood Lumber is readily available for shipment within 24 to 48 hours of placing your order depending on our workload. The surfacing, edging, and finishing is completed by the customer or woodworker. The material has not been machined in anyway aside from being ripped on the band saw. The cost of this material is less than S2S or S4S Trinidad Teak Lumber.

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