Teak Shower Seats – Why choose Teak?

If I may move outside the locus of the shower for a moment, I would like to look for the exquisite material to compose a shower seat, a bath mat or an accessory. These are typically used in the warm, soapy and wet environment of any shower, residential or commercial. So we ask, ‘What are the specifications we should look for in a shower seat material?’

We already have a description of some of the technical needs, so let us search for further into the specifics. Assuming it will be used in a residential setting, the material must be not only be functional but esthetically pleasing. As there will be bare skin in perceive with surfaces, it must not splinter and it must be warm and comfortable. The proposed material should not be a maintenance headache. Possibly the most overlooked necessity, it must be strong to be safe. So now we can take a look and make valid comparisons, in no single order:

Shower Seat

The needful criteria are that it should be Rot Resistant, Esthetically Pleasing,No Splinters, Warm, Comfortable, Low Maintenance and be strong.

If it is made from Iron/steel it has some of the correct characteristics except it is not necessarily esthetically pleasing, not warm, not comfortable and it rust so it is not low maintenance.

If it is made from Aluminum It also has some of the desirable characteristics but it is not esthetically pleasing, not warm, not comfortable and is medium strong.

If it is made from Plastic it has some of the correct characteristics but it too is not esthetically pleasing, not warm and is medium strong, though some plastics will sag under warmth.

Of policy one could all the time go with a Ceramic seat but though it is durable it is cold and not comfortable.

So we can search for more organic materials such as Cedar/redwood. They are by all means; of course esthetically pleasing but in a show/ bath space are field to splinters and inherent rot as well as field to stains and of medium strength.

The next organic selection is Teak. It is rot resistant, esthetically pleasing, does not splinter, is warm, comfortable, low maintenance and strong.

As we can see from the above comparison, teak is by far the best selection for use in the wet environment of a shower and bathroom.

How did teak get in the mix for furniture and accessories in the shower? Teak has been used for boat construction in India since back to the Third Millennium Bc (1). Harappan times saw the beginning of boat construction in India and as a hereditary profession, father would pass the skills on to son(s) using what would today be deemed crude measuring of hand, fingers and feet to resolve all from the superstructure of the boat to the final finishes. Of policy teak was the beloved wood for construction of ships, being highly favorable due to the inherent nature, stability and strength of the slow growing wood.

Boats are constantly in a wet environment, field to the whims of storm and the heat of calm, the battering of waves and the dragging onto the rocks and beach. So the material they were built from had to be favorable for the proposed use (2,3)

1. Rot Resistant,

2. Workable by hand,

3. Low maintenance,

4. Strong (2,3) and it had to float.

These are all exquisite reasons to use teak for shower seats, bath mats and bathing accessories. The further benefits of teak furniture are

5. Esthetically pleasing,

6. Does not form splinters,

7. Is warm to the eye as well as to the skin,

8. Comfortable and comes in a multitude of shapes only exiguous by the imagination of the designer and the joinery of the wood.

So much for the engineering approach. In my next description we will delve into more reasons your best selection would be a quality built teak shower seat, teak bath mat, teak shower organizer and teak accessories.

(1) antique Ship-Building & maritime Trade by D. P. Agrawal & Lalit Tiwari

(2) Van Nostrand’s eclectic engineering magazine, Volume 9, 1873

(3) How to books -wood suitability – Mechanic’s Own Book