If I may move outside the locus of the shower for a moment, I would like to look for the perfect material to manufacture 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 explore 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 contact 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 particular order:

Material, Rot Resistant, Esthetically Pleasing, Splinters, Warm, Comfortable, Low Maintenance, Strength

Iron,Yes, No, No, No, No, No-rusts, Strong

Aluminum, Yes, No, No, No, No, Yes, Medium

Plastic, Yes, No, No, No, Yes, Yes, Medium

Ceramic, Yes, Yes, No, No, No, Yes, Strong

Cedar, No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, No-Stains, Low

Teak, Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes, Strong

As we can see from the above comparison, teak is by far the best choice 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 building in India since back to the Third Millennium BC1. Boats are constantly in a wet environment, subject 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 suitable for the proposed use2,3 1. Rot Resistant, 2. Workable by hand, 3. Low maintenance, 4. Strong2,3 and it had to float.

These are all excellent reasons to use teak for shower seats, bath mats and bathing accessories. The additional 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 limited by the imagination of the designer and the joinery of the wood. So much for the engineering approach. In my next article we will delve into more reasons your best choice would be a quality built teak shower seat, teak bath mat, teak shower organizer and teak accessories.

1Exerpts from: Ancient Ship-Building & Maritime Trade by D. P. Agrawal & Lalit Tiwari

"The beginnings of boat building technology in India go back to the Third Millennium BC, to the Harappan times."

"The technology of boat building was a hereditary profession passing from father to son and was a monopoly of a particular caste of people. The local builders used the hand, fingers and feet as the units of measurements. In different places different kinds of boats were built for specific purposes. These boats may bear some similarity in material, techniques or in shape and size. For the construction of ship, the teak (Tectona grandis) wood is generally employed in India, though the selection of wood depends upon the nature and type of craft."

"The main types of wood that are utilized today are sal, babul, ain, bibla, jambul and punnai, but the teak wood is always the best for ship and boat building and is preferred in Bombay too."

2 Van Nostrand's eclectic engineering magazine, Volume 9, 1873

"Mr. Anderson gives a most useful table. He takes the experiments of Tredgold, Barlow, Ebbels and others as a basis, and shows what the calculated breaking weight in pounds of a beam 1 ft. long and 1 in. square is, of the following descriptions of wood supported at both ends and loaded in the middle:

Ash 595 to 810 lbs

Beech 518 to 704 lbs

Elm 337 to 540 lbs

American Fir 483 to 570 lbs

Canadian Oak 572 to 589 lbs

English Oak 420 to 964 lbs

Teak 642 to 1075 lbs

3 http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/mechanics/How-To/Wood-Suitability.html

Building (Ship-Building)-cedar, pine (deal), fir, larch, elm, oak, locust, teak.

Great Strength In Construction-teak, oak, greenheart, Dantzic fir, pitch pine.

Durable In Wet Positions-oak, beech, elm, teak, alder, plane, acacia, greenheart.

Large Timbers In Carpentry-Memel, Dantzic, and Riga fir; oak, chestnut, Bay mahogany, pitch pine, or teak, may be used if easily obtainable.

Floors-pitch pine, oak, or teak, where readily procurable, for floors to withstand great wear.

Treads Of Stairs-Oak, Teak.

Characteristics of Teak Wood seasoned.

Weight of 1 cub. ft. (dry.) 41-52

Resistance to Crushing in direction of fibres. 2.3-5.4 tons per square inch

Comparative Stiffness and Strength, Oak being 100. Stiffness 126, Strength 109