In the 20 years since its market launch, Bolideck Future Teak has established itself as the market-leading synthetic alternative to natural teak - a wood that remains as durable and elegant as ever, but whose use at scale is no longer sustainable.
Over two decades, demand for Future Teak has grown with the cruise industry, serving its increasing focus on sustainable materials while delivering the aesthetics of the real thing, new standard of performance at a fraction of the weight.
But maintaining market leadership demands responsiveness to evolving expectations. Accordingly, the recently launched Bolideck Future Teak Signature Premium raises the bar on authenticity even higher. The new solution still saves weight – and trees – compared to real teak decking, but it also achieves a more natural look and feel than the original Future Teak.
Work on the Signature line began when Accor Group luxury travel brand Orient Express approached Bolidt seeking the ideal decking system for the forthcoming Orient Express Corinthian, which is due to enter service in 2026 as the largest sailing yacht in the world. For a vessel offering the ultimate in luxury cruising, Orient Express and shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique envisaged a product that would match the functionality and environmental benefits of Future Teak while achieving an even closer resemblance to real teak wood.
When Bolidt unveiled its latest innovation at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami in April 2025, six out of 10 invited to inspect the product mistook it for genuine teak. So close is the solution’s resemblance to the real thing that Bolidt expects Captains of vessels fitted with the premium decking system to receive complaints about having too much wood on board.
Alongside its greater authenticity, Signature Premium offers improved colour stability than its predecessor and greater resistance to the fading effects of prolonged UV exposure. The addition of a new pigment also means that the reimagined decking system is 10–12 °C cooler than real teak, making it more comfortable for guests to walk barefoot on deck in warm, sunny weather.
In addition. Bolideck Future Teak Signature Premium maintains its natural appearance when wet, and given the teak effect runs all the way through the material, it can be sanded multiple times without losing its A-grade look and feel.
Applied thinking
In a research and development initiative carried out over 18 months, Bolidt also devised and refined a controlled application technique to produce the A-grade teak effect from a unique blend of colours. It identified the right tools to facilitate precise pouring and achieved the desired technical characteristics through rigorous testing at various temperatures. Maintaining constant dialogue with its project partners, it shared samples for approval before producing a series of mock-ups in house and at the shipyard.
One challenge came when Chantiers de l’Atlantique requested irregular shapes in the decking design. To maintain Signature Premium’s intricate aesthetics across acute angles and curves, the material must be poured in a way that ensures precise alignment with the cutting pattern. The special methods and new tools were introduced to create different curves in both small and large spaces, and their application require technicians to undertake comprehensive training sessions covering mixing, pouring, and cutting processes.
Other developments have also been taken on board that benefit condition and longevity. Thanks to the application of Bolidt Sealer X, a new transparent protective layer featuring hydro- and oleophobic properties, Signature Premium is easy to clean, and stains are less visible. By enhancing contrast, Sealer X immediately reveals the material’s natural colour, speeding up a process that would otherwise involve several rounds of cleaning and sustained exposure to sea water and sunlight to ensure readiness from installation.
Hard work pays off
For Bolidt, the hard work is already paying off. With installation on board Corinthian due for completion by the end of 2025, Signature Premium is turning heads throughout the cruise and yachting industries, while ferry companies are also showing strong interest in the new system.
Even at this early stage, Bolidt is exploring next steps in the product’s development. The potential integration of energy-generation and sensor technologies promises environmental and commercial benefits for cruise and ferry operators. Meanwhile, LEDs could offer aesthetic and practical advantages, with adjustable lighting acting as both a mood setter in hospitality venues and a flexible line marker for sports courts and running tracks.
Bolidt is also looking to exploit Signature Premium’s inherent effectiveness as an insulator to develop a heating solution for use on cold-climate voyages. By integrating a wiring system, the company would give operators the power to heat or cool their decks at will to account for local climate, season, and time of day.
Already, however, the company considers the launch of Bolideck Future Teak Signature Premium as signalling a new era for passenger ship decking – one where owners need no longer feel there is a trade-off between high-end style and environmental preservation. In addition to ticking both of boxes, Signature Premium provides a blank canvas for further innovation, which Bolidt intends to take full advantage of in the years to come.
By Gerben Smit, Operations Director, Bolidt