A teak cot or sofa should outlast the room it is bought for. Most of what decides that is settled before anything is carved: which wood, which part of the log, how long it was seasoned, and how the joints are made. Here is what to look at, and what to ask.
Solid teak, veneer or engineered wood?
- Solid teak - one piece of timber throughout. It can be repaired, re-polished and passed on. It costs the most and is the only one worth calling an heirloom.
- Teak veneer - a thin teak face over plywood or MDF. It can look identical when new, but an edge chip cannot be repaired.
- “Teak finish” - no teak at all, just a colour.
Check the edges and the inside of drawers: on a solid piece the grain continues around an edge, and the unfinished inside matches the outside. Everything we make is solid teak, from the same logs we sell at the yard.
Which teak suits which piece
| Piece | What matters most | Usually the right choice |
|---|---|---|
| Cot / bed | Strong rails, wide clean faces for the headboard | Nilambur or well-seasoned plantation teak |
| Sofa set | Strength at the joints, carving quality | Seasoned teak, heartwood only |
| Dining table | A stable top that will not cup | Well-seasoned teak, properly jointed top |
| Wardrobe | Flat, stable panels; good hardware | Teak with quality hinges and runners |
| Dressing table | Appearance, mirror fixing | Teak with clean, even-coloured faces |
More on the differences: Burma, Nilambur and plantation teak compared.
Six checks before you buy
- Seasoning. Ask how long the timber was dried. Furniture from green wood cracks and twists later.
- Sapwood. The pale outer wood is not durable; on good work it has been cut away, not stained over.
- Joints. Look for proper joinery at the corners rather than screws and filler.
- Underside and back. The parts nobody sees tell you how the rest was made.
- Finish. A thin, even polish that lets the grain show, not a thick coat hiding it.
- Hardware. Hinges, runners and bolts are what fail first on a good frame.
What decides the price
Teak furniture is priced from the timber it contains plus the work in it. A king size cot uses far more wood than a single; carving, a wider top or a mirror frame all add hours. The same factors that move the price of teak per CFT - species, girth, grade, seasoning - move furniture prices too. If a teak cot looks unusually cheap, ask which of these has been given up.
Standard sizes to ask for
Indian cot sizes are usually given in feet: single about 3 × 6, double about 4½ × 6½, queen about 5 × 6½, king about 6 × 6½. Mattress sizes vary between makers, so measure your mattress first and give us that measurement - we build to your size.
Made to your size
Because we cut our own timber, a piece can be built to a size that fits your room rather than a catalogue. Send a sketch or a photo of something you like and we will quote it: upload your design, or message us on WhatsApp.
Looking after it
- Keep it out of direct sun and away from a wall that gets damp.
- Dust with a dry or barely damp cloth; wipe spills straight away.
- Re-polish every few years rather than stripping and recoating.
- Lift furniture to move it - dragging is what loosens joints.
Browse what we make
All teak furniture · King size cots · Single cots · Sofa sets · Dining sets · Wardrobes · Dressing tables