I'm thinking about builiding a new gate for my courtyard, and was wanting to use teak because I know it stands up well outdoors. One thing I don't know is how well it stands up to heat. I'm out in the middle of the Mojave desert, so it gets pretty warm in the summer, 110 plus during the summer. Not much rain in the summer, more in the winter, but still not a lot, so I'm not too worried about moisture. It is a desert, so I think it's around 6" a year. I just don't want it to dry out and fall apart on me.

And what kind of finish would you recommend? I've heard non-tinted oil-based paints are good, but not sure about putting it on teak as it's oil based. Don't know how well spar urethane would hold up outdoors either without a lot of maintenance. Or do I just leave it unfinished?

Or would you just scrap the teak idea and go with something more traditional like clear western red cedar? Thanks for any help!