Teak Wood

Teak is the wood that has sailed the oceans. Tectona grandis, native to the tropical forests of Myanmar, India, Indonesia, and Thailand, was for centuries the material of choice for shipbuilders worldwide: resistant to water, insects, salt spray, and time itself. It's not a resistance gained through treatments or finishes, it's built into the wood's own structure, in the natural resins and oils teak secretes, which make it waterproof and stable even with no outside help. A teak deck on a luxury yacht isn't just an aesthetic detail, it's a technical choice that lasts decades.

The color is warm and golden, with straight grain and an understated character that ages well, over time and with air exposure it tends toward browner tones, almost silvery if left natural outdoors. In craftsmanship it's used for fine furniture, paneling, collector's pieces, and musical instruments where its dimensional stability is essential. Janka hardness sits between 1,070 and 1,155 lbf. Its high price, among the highest in the working-wood market, reflects a shrinking supply: natural teak forests were drastically reduced over the twentieth century due to overharvesting, and today most of the wood sold comes from controlled plantations, requiring at least twenty-five years of growth before harvest.

Its porous nature calls for a specific approach with laser engraving: fine lines tend to get lost in the wood's open grain, while on medium engravings and broader strokes the burned mark comes through with strength, set off by the warm gold of the surface.