Teak, sheesham or engineered wood: what you are paying for

When customers compare our prices with furniture elsewhere, the difference often comes down to the wood. Here is how the three common choices compare.

Solid teak is what we use for most of our cabinets, tables and sofa frames. It is naturally oily, so it resists water, termites and the dry heat of an Ahmedabad summer better than most woods, and it moves very little with the seasons. It ages to a warm honey colour and can be sanded and re-oiled decades later. It is also the most expensive: good, seasoned teak costs several times as much as sheesham per cubic foot, and that shows in the price of our stepped teak cabinet at ₹46,500.

Sheesham, or Indian rosewood, is a hard, heavy wood with strong grain and a darker colour. It is durable and handsome, and it costs less than teak, but it moves more as humidity changes. If it is not seasoned properly, joints can open and tops can crack in the first year. Ask how long the wood was dried before it was cut.

Engineered wood means plywood, MDF or particle board with a veneer or laminate on top. Good plywood is stable and works well for wardrobes and kitchen shutters. MDF and particle board are cheaper but swell if water gets in at an edge, and they cannot be repaired the way solid wood can. We use plywood only for drawer bottoms and cabinet backs, and we say so on every product page.