Teak undoubtedly has got a whole lot of credits to itself when it comes to the look and sturdiness of furniture, but various other forms of timber such as Babul, Sal, Marandi and Sheesham have enlisted advantages, not only in India but all across the world.
The reasons why timber has still a large and diverse scope of usage over teak is many, experts say.
“The old and different forms of timber are reliable, more affordable and help in a budgeted furniture making process, as compared to teakwood which is a little expensive,” says architect, Bhavani Reddy.
“There are various other conventional forms of timber which could be used for building furniture, for spaces right from our households to a nearby restaurant,” she says adding that such traditional timber forms are forgotten today due to the use of teakwood and other polished and expensive materials.
These days, the trend is to have almost every piece of furniture made and developed out of teak.
There are different types of timber which are considered perfect alternatives to teak, and which come with a faster propagation and serve as one of the best ways to produce sustainable and eco-friendly furniture.
Another type of timber is Sheesham, which is considered to be one of the competitors of Mahogany, when it comes to durability and resistance. The hard material used for making and building frameworks for doors and windows comes from the timber known as Sal, which is considered heavier and stronger than most of the building material.
The Marandi timber gives out a tight and beautiful grain to enhance and develop the look of furniture used in restaurants and various outdoor places.
The immense usage of teak today has made architects forget some of these other conventional and cheaper alternatives of timber, which, if used properly, can ensure and guarantee almost the same features of look of the furniture when compared to teakwood.
Commenting on this forgotten use of such forms of timber, Ms. Reddy says, “Alternative forms of timber are a better and efficient way of using eco-friendly material towards effective and sustainable growth”.
The use and application of teakwood today has made the activity of furniture making a tad expensive which is not within the reach of many.
Surprisingly, alternate timber forms were in use for decades but the upper hand gained by teak has nudged them to the sidelines and out of popular usage.
“These timber forms are not something new that I am talking about. They have always been in use since a long time but they just remain as forgotten forms of timber today,” says Bhavani Reddy.
It is time to rejuvenate the usage of such cheaper and reliable material in order to provide qualitative form of furniture and architectural aspects, she adds.
