Know Your Timber: New Guinea Teak

New Guinea Teak, also called Vitex, is a timber that is often used for timber decking and hardwood flooring. We have supplied a lot of New Guinea Teak to the Brisbane and Sydney areas over the years. Teak is very popular due to being very easy to work with. It has a durability rating of 2. Its sapwood is usually coloured blonde or pale yellow, while the heartwood can range from golden brown to olive gray.

New Guinea Teak is grown in, you guessed it, New Guinea. However, it also grows naturally in Thailand, India, Vietnam and Myanmar. It has been imported and grown on plantations, not only in New Guinea, but also in the West Indies, Solomon Islands, Africa, Fiji and Indonesia.

It is used for decking, poles, posts, framing and hardwood flooring, but also has a lot of “lesser” uses, including joinery, step treads, window sills and carving. In the garden, Teak makes great pergolas and gazebos. Teak has a combination of strength, durability and workability that makes it a favourite for shipbuilders.

Vitex has a density of 700-800 kg/m3. It can have an interlocked grain or a straight grain. It is easily sawn but its high silica content can cause blunting of your saw. A tungsten-carbide blade is recommended. It is also recommended that nail holes be pre-drilled to prevent cracking.

You have to be careful when using glue on Vitex, as it contains a lot of oil which can degrade the glue. This makes it important to only glue a fresh-dressed Vitex surface. Vitex will easily accept stains, paints, waxes, polishes and varnishes.

Above the ground, Teak is very durable, providing a life expectancy of up to forty years. In ground, the life expectancy drops to 15-25 years. The sapwood is vulnerable to lyctid borers, but the heartwood is termite resistant.

For more information on New Guinea Teak or any of our other timbers, please call 1300 477 024 or visit our Decking Showroom.