Materials

History

The reclaimed hardwoods used for our garden benches and garden features have been defending the Kent coastline for a minimum of 50 years. The storm-worn timbers were originally part of a large sea defence project prompted by severe flooding of the Kent coastline in 1953 and reclaimed from Whitstable in January 2004.
The £2 million project by the Kent County Council to upgrade the Whitstable sea defences managed to re-use 60% of the original timbers, the remainder being reclaimed by us for garden furniture or collected by locals for firewood.

Woods

The three principle hardwoods used for our benches and garden furniture are Ecki, Balu (selangau batu) and Greenheart. The main characteristics that these species have in common are weight (above 60lbs per cubic foot, 30% denser than teak which is considered the most decay resistant wood in the world!), strength, decay and rot resistance, excellent fastening ability and above all in this case resistance to marine borers. Once the clay has been removed from the woods surface the range of colours of these woods can be seen. From pale greenish yellow to deep brownish purple the timbers for our garden furniture exhibit the variety of growing conditions as there colour is derived from the mineral content of the soil and not just species alone.
All these combined characteristics make the Storm-Worn Timbers ideal for outdoor furniture. No treatment of these hardwoods is necessary and all of our benches and garden features have lifetime guarantees.
For the 2004 Whitstable sea defence project the Kent County Council only used Greenheart hardwood. Originally from South America and the West Indies this species is now commercially grown (approx 4 trees per acre) in Guiana and Africa. Checks on sustainable rain forests are strict and clients, in this case Kent County Council, are often invited to visit the sites in Africa to gain confidence in the sustainability of their product.

Breakwaters and benches

As already mentioned one of the characteristics of the hardwoods used in sea defences is its fastening ability. This means that as a material any construction will last a long, long time. In our benches and garden furniture we use exactly the same construction techniques as those used on the Whitstable sea defence project to not only maximise authenticity but also guarantee solid lasting outdoor features.
We use the same 175mm x M16 galvanised coach screws from the company that supplied the Kent County Council and each selected timber is then washed, leaving barnacles and other evidence of marine life before cutting and assembly in our Kent based joinery.
So, the finished garden benches feature original metalwork and design techniques in addition to the natural beauty and individuality of the Storm-Worn timbers.

In addition to the garden furniture the upright posts that support the breakwater sheets make outstanding garden features (see Gallery). In their natural state these 9x9 posts are capped with galvanised steel rings that have surface rust and supports evidence of marine life and the Kent coastlines enduring battle with the North Sea.