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what is rattan wood

by Alaina Beahan Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

Rattan is a plant from Southeast Asia. It is closely related to the palm tree and grows like a tree. It is one of the strongest woods in the world, with close to 600 types in its family. Ranging from thin to thick, different varieties are used depending on the look of the piece.Jul 31, 2019

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What is the best rattan garden furniture?

  • Make sure it is UV stabilised so it withstands the sun’s glare.
  • Choose cushions that complement the furniture. ...
  • PE or HDPE Rattan are the best types of rattan as they have an eco-friendly manufacturing process, they’re recyclable, weather-proof and tougher than PU or PVC. ...

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Where to buy rattan furniture?

there is a day when you should start considering to buy garden furniture before prices and demand start to skyrocket. Ryan Schwarze, garden furniture expert at Luxury Rattan, has revealed the best time to place an order - and given the exact date of ...

Where can I buy rattan?

Wicker Paradise provides the finest quality in wicker and rattan furniture at discounted prices with knowledgeable advice and unsurpassed customer service. Shop with confidence; Wicker Paradise has earned a superior service rating and is committed to satisfying your indoor and outdoor wicker furniture needs!

Can rattan furniture be used indoors?

Rattan furniture is extremely versatile; it is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use so it is worth investing in a great set like this, as it can be used all year round. Conservatories or summer houses are the ideal home for this, for feeling as though you are outside even when you’re not!

Is rattan real wood?

Climbing palms are known as rattan. Rattan is a type of reed-like wood that's flexible and can be used in furniture production. Instead of coming from a tree itself, rattan comes from the secondary growth like vines and stems that make the wood a liana. Liana isn't considered a real “wood” like you'd get from trees.

What is rattan made of?

Rattan includes over 600 different species of solid timber vine (different from a material like bamboo, which is hollow), native to tropical forests in Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and the Malay Archipelago. Rattan fibers vary greatly in length and width, depending on the species and time harvested.

Is rattan and bamboo the same?

Rattan is a solid while bamboo is hollow. Despite being one of the world's strongest woods, rattan is flexible and can be shaped into intricately designed furniture. Therefore an easy way to check if your furniture is rattan or bamboo is to see if any of the canes are curved or bent and if so, your furniture is rattan.

What wood is rattan furniture made of?

Rattan is a liana, a wood-like vine with flexible stems. It looks like bamboo but it is solid, while bamboo is hollow in the middle. Like wood, rattan can be painted or stained, which has made it a go-to material for making furniture and other home goods.

Can a rattan get wet?

In short, no. Rattan furniture is not waterproof it's a synthetic material, that when wet can become damaged so you will need to protect the set with a cover when it is in your garden.

How long does rattan last outside?

How long does and should it last? PE rattan is known for its weatherproof qualities, resistance to rain, snow, frost, and even UV rays. Hence, most garden sets made using this material often last between 5-7 years.

How do I know if my furniture is rattan?

The defining difference between the two is that rattan is a material whereas wicker is a style of weave. For example, there are many choices of garden furniture that use a wicker rattan weave. That simply means the physical material the furniture is composed of is rattan, and the weave style is wicker.

Is rattan eco friendly?

Rattan can be fully grown and harvested within two years, compared to some hardwoods which take up to 20-30 years. Therefore, rattan is a completely sustainable product that is environmentally friendly. Rattan helps to sustain numerous other plants and landscapes.

Where did rattan come from?

Rattan is a type of climbing or trailing vine-like palm native to the tropical jungles of Asia, Malaysia, and China. One of the largest sources has been the Philippines1.

Is rattan furniture strong?

Rattan garden furniture is extremely strong and durable. Because they tend to have aluminium frames they are also very light and can be easily moved around the garden or indoors.

Does rattan furniture last outside?

In short, no. Natural rattan furniture should not be used outdoors, the wooden material when wet and cold will become brittle and break. The sun can also damage these natural wicker sets so under no circumstances should they be left outdoors.

Is rattan furniture valuable?

Vintage Rattan Furniture Values This means that you can find a lot of high-quality vintage rattan furniture pieces out there; unfortunately, those from reputable designers will cost you anywhere between $1,000-$10,000 depending on their age and style.

Where is Rattan furniture from?

Rattan is a type of climbing or trailing vine-like palm native to the tropical jungles of Asia, Malaysia, and China. One of the largest sources has been the Philippines.

Where is rattan found?

With forest destruction and conversion, the habitat area of rattan has decreased rapidly over the last few decades, and rattan has experienced a supply shortage. Indonesia and a district of Borneo are the only two places in the world that produce rattan certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

What style of furniture was used in the 20th century?

Earlier 20th-century rattan furniture was designed in the Victorian style. Hollywood set designers began using rattan furniture in many outdoor scenes, whetting the appetites for movie-going and style-conscious audiences, who loved anything that had to do with the idea of those romantic, far-off South Seas islands.

What is rattan pole used for?

Rattan's outer bark is used for caning, while its inner reed-like section is used to weave wicker furniture.

How big is Palasan Rattan?

One of the largest sources has been the Philippines. Palasan rattan can be identified by its tough, solid stems that vary from 1 to 2 inches in diameter and its vines, which grow as long as 200 to 500 feet. When rattan is harvested, it is cut into 13-foot lengths, and the dry sheathing is removed. Its stems are dried in ...

When was bamboo furniture used?

It was used to build small pieces of furniture and accessories in the late 1800s and early 1900s , especially in tropical locales. A few bamboo furniture manufacturers incorporated rattan poles for their smoothness and added strength.

When did rattan furniture become popular?

Just like the earlier days, the use of vintage rattan in films, television, and pop culture helped spur a renewed interest in the furniture in the 1980s, and it has continued to be popular among collectors and admirers.

Where does rattan come from?

Rattan is a plant from Southeast Asia. It is closely related to the palm tree and grows like a tree. It is one of the strongest woods in the world, with close to 600 types in its family. Ranging from thin to thick, different varieties are used depending on the look of the piece. It is a natural and sustainable product.

Is bamboo a good source of wood?

Bamboo is another sustainable plant. It is a grass from the plant family known as Poacea and grows fast and strong. Because of how hearty it grows, it is a reliable source of wood. You can often tell the difference between bamboo and rattan from its thickness and marks. Bamboo tends to be a thicker wood, so many pieces will have a thicker frame then that of rattan.

Is cane a rattan?

Cane is also rattan, but the rattan skin. Rattan skin is often used in caning, the weaving of rattan skin. It can be found as an accent on rattan furniture. Cane is a sustainable product.

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Overview

Uses

Cleaned rattan stems with the leaf sheaths removed are superficially similar to bamboo. Unlike bamboo, rattan stems are not hollow. Most (70%) of the world's rattan population exist in Indonesia, distributed among the islands Borneo, Sulawesi, and Sumbawa. The rest of the world's supply comes from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Assam, India.

Etymology

The name "rattan" is first attested in English in the 1650s. It is derived from the Malay name rotan. Probably ultimately from rautan (from raut, "to trim" or "to pare").

Taxonomy

Calamoideae also includes tree palms such as Raphia (Raffia) and Metroxylon (Sago palm) and shrub palms such as Salacca (Salak) (Uhl & Dransfield 1987 Genera Palmarum). The climbing habit in palms is not restricted to Calamoideae, but has also evolved in three other evolutionary lines—tribes Cocoseae (Desmoncus with c. 7–10 species in the New World tropics) and Are…

Ecology

Most rattan palms are classified ecologically as lianas, because most mature rattan palms have a vine-like habit, scrambling through and over other vegetation. But they differ from true woody lianas in several ways. Because rattans are palms, they do not branch and they rarely develop new root structures upon contact of the stem with soil. They are also monocots and thu…

Economic and environmental issues

In forests where rattan grows, its economic value can help protect forest land, by providing an alternative to loggers who forgo timber logging and harvest rattan canes instead. Rattan is much easier to harvest, requires simpler tools and is much easier to transport. It also grows much faster than most tropical wood. This makes it a potential tool in forest maintenance, since it provides a …

See also

• Amakan
• Sennit
• Caning

Further reading

• Siebert, Stephen F. (2012). The Nature and Culture of Rattan: Reflections on Vanishing Life in the Forests of Southeast Asia. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3536-1.

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