Whenever considering a proposition of any kind it is always wise to do a little research and then examine the pros and cons of the situation in order to reach a wise, well informed solution. The same holds true for anyone considering teak hardwood flooring, but what are the facts and how do they translate into pros and cons?
The first fact to add to the pro category would be the durability of teak hardwood flooring. Teak floors are extremely resistant to water, snow, and even fungal and termite infestations. For these reasons teak has traditionally been a popular choice for door and window frames. In addition to these innate resistances, teak is also incredibly resistant to scratches, scuffs, dings, dents, chipping, and puncturing. Teak used in teak hardwood floors rates very high on the Janka hardness scale, which measures how difficult it is to penetrate wood flooring.
The durability of teak hardwood flooring makes it ideal for consumers with very active families and/or lifestyles. Teak hardwood flooring also easily resists animal claws, so it is pet friendly as well.
The first con would have to be the price. While most solid hardwood floors are far more expensive than their cheaper veneered cousins, teak is more expensive than most. This is most likely a product of several factors including the high demand for almost all variations of teak, the near decimation of natural old growth teak forests, the lengthy maturation cycle of all forms of genus Tectona (the Latin name for all species of teak), the limited areas of the planet in which genus Tectona will grow, and the relatively high requirements for space and nutrition Tectona requires.
Another item to add to the list of pros would be longevity of teak hardwood flooring. There are numerous examples of original ancient teak architecture used in temples found throughout southwest India with histories spanning two thousand years. Short of experiencing a fire or natural disaster, it is unlikely that one would ever find themselves needing to replace their handsome teak hardwood floors; in short teak hardwood floors easily have the potential to be the last flooring one ever needs to purchase.
Another potential con would be that teak trees are being cut down to produce teak products. While this is certainly true, and there are two species of teak that are still endangered, the fact that teak plantations are springing up around the globe should eventually help alleviate this concern to some degree. It will, however, probably still be a concern for decades to come and may even be exacerbated by the continued global population growth and the improving economies of highly populated countries such as China and India.
It is worth noting that there is an independent organization, the Forestry Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org), that offers a stringent certification process to ensure that vendors of teak and other wood products are not doing so at the expense of the environment. This is especially important as old growth teak forests are barely a perceptible fraction of what they were only fifty years ago.
Products featuring an FSC compliance logo must adhere to a set of bylaws which are very demanding and result in a net benefit to the environment. Consumers who are environmentally conscious should read up on the certification process and understand how the FSC has found a way to promote environmentalism while still allowing manufacturers to feasibly supply exotic wood products.
A potential pro for teak hardwood flooring would be the thousands of jobs that are created by supporting the teak industry. The vast bulk of the jobs created by the burgeoning teak plantations around the world go to those from impoverished areas. Generally speaking these areas have struggled economically, and by providing localized employment opportunities, the generational poverty that has afflicted so many regions around the glove is slowly vanishing.
The last pro is how teak flooring will potentially impact the resale value of any given piece of property. At present homes and office spaces with authentic teak hardwood flooring command a markedly higher price than those without. The price difference varies from region to region and even from time to time. Whether or not this trend will continue or to what degree it might change is difficult to predict, but it seems a fairly safe bet for the very short term.
Now that the reader has been fairly and properly informed it is up to them to weigh the pros and cons and come up with a decision of whether to purchase teak hardwood flooring or not.