In the mid 1900’s heavy wood planking, usually Teak was used to protect decks of many naval vessels including aircraft carriers.  The wood planking offered protection from the intense heat from fire generated by attack or flight deck accidents.  Without wood as an insulator, steel decks would buckle, sometimes causing the entire hull to distort. During World War II Teak became unavailable when Japan occupied Southeast Asia.  The Allied navies turned to Douglas Fir and a South American hardwood which today is being brought to you as Naval Deck™.

Naval Deck™ combines the toughness and abrasion resistance needed to perform as landing decks for aircraft with the natural decay resistance needed to endure constant exposure to sun, wind, rain and salt water.  European standards rate Naval Deck™ as more durable than Maranti and Balau that are prevalent in the U.S. market.

In tests made at the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory; “the Naval Deck™ samples sustained such small amounts of decay by even the most active fungus that it can be unqualifiedly classified for general consideration as very resistant.  It would be expected to have superior resistance to fungus damage both in ground contact and above ground service.”  It’s high silica content makes it resistant to water penetration.  Naval Deck is also highly resistant to marine borers.

The appearance of Naval Deck™ is enhanced by what the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory calls “a golden sub-luster” and what the Center for Wood Anatomy Research calls “unusual subsurface luster”.  A coating of Teak oil is all that is needed to bring that golden luster to life.  The underlying color of Naval Deck™ is midrange brown to reddish brown often with subtle bands of purplish color.

The U.S. Forest Products Laboratory suggest that its combination of strength and durability makes Naval Deck™ “especially suitable for heavy construction, harbor installations, bridges, heavy planking for pier and platform decking, and railroad bridge ties and … is particularly suitable for ship decking, planking, boat frames and underwater members”.