Teak ...... Go Grey or Go Golden?

Here at Wood-Joy we sell genuine teak patio furniture, such as teak dining sets, teak deep seat sofa sets, teak benches , teak chaise loungers and teak accessories throughout the entire USA. As you know, there are a lot of different weather and climate that exists throughout all 50 states. So it is no surprise that there would be many different ways to maintain teak outdoor furniture, as well as marine teak.

This type of phone call comes in frequently....... "What's the best way to maintain our teak patio furniture"?

Our best guess is that about half of our teak customers really do not want the golden look, in fact they actually prefer to speed up the aging process to achieve a patina silvery look. Of course, others desire the golden look and this is where the restoration and proprietary product choices becomes necessary. DO NOT WORRY. Regardless of which way you decide to go and no matter how gray your teak becomes, it can always be restored to a golden look. The natural silver patina color is just a very thin film layer of oxidation and can be easily sanded off to expose the original teak color tone.

NO NEED TO WORRY

First of all there is not much chance of you seriously damaging your teak furniture by applying teak oil or sealers on the surfaces. We try to describe below your options and a general means to apply teak oil if desired, however it is certainly not required.

We are often asked about the best ways to care for teak furniture. Because of the hard and yet forgiving nature of the timber it will withstand a great deal of abuse, but it will also repay a little tender loving care, so you may care to read through this page and pick up a few hints.

If your furniture is to be used indoors and away from a lot of natural sunlight, over a period of time perhaps six months to a year the wood will gradually become a darker shade of brown.

If on the other hand the furniture is left outdoors, the effects of the sun's rays will 'bleach out' the timbers natural color, gradually turning it a soft silvery grey color. This silvery grey 'patina' which develops over time gives teak furniture a distinctive appearance. The silver grey color resulting from this natural aging process is considered to be very attractive and allows the furniture to blend in well with many outdoor environments. Teak furniture left in this state is easily maintained and needs no treatment whatsoever to give many years of service and this is about as easy as outdoor furniture maintenance can get!

If your teak furniture requires cleaning, this can be done with a normal household bristle brush [not too hard] and some warm mildly soapy (clear dish soap) water. Wash down afterwards with clean water. There are also proprietary cleaners on the market such as OXICLEAN which can also be used to clean off various stubborn deposits and accumulated dirt and stains.

We do not recommend the use of high pressure sprayers, steel wool or steel wire brushes. These methods should not be used at all as any metal residue left in the grain will rust and discolor the wood. High pressure water sprayers will blast out the wood fines and raise the wood grains causing a weakened rough surface.

If the furniture has some stubborn and heavily ingrained stains these can be removed by first cleaning with the use of OXICLEAN and a water rinse. Then once fully dried (approx. two days) sanding with a 120C grit of sandpaper followed by a 220 grit sandpaper, being sure to work only with the direction of the wood grains. After sanding stains away like this, if the furniture was previously teak oiled you may wish to re-oil. Or if it had previously been left natural, the fresh teak color exposed by sanding will soon mellow in with the existing silver grey patina.

TEAK OIL

Teak wood is of itself naturally oily and requires no treatment to be used indoors or outdoors and the use of teak oil or sealers won't greatly increase the life of the timber. It does change the color somewhat and it can also help a little to prevent stains from seeping into the timber grain. It will slow down the graying effect caused by ultra violet rays.

Manufactured teak oil is actually either tung oil or linseed oil blended with resins and other proprietary additives to guard against UV mold and mildew.

To maintain its appearance teak oiled furniture will need to be re-oiled periodically. If you decide to oil your furniture you can contact us for supplier lists of WATCO teak oil, or buy from your local supplier. A basic method for oiling is as follows:

The furniture will need to be cleaned first [see below] afterwards allow to dry for approx. 48 hours before starting to oil. Have a good look around the furniture first and attend to any areas requiring sanding before starting work. We recommend a light sanding (using 220 grit) over all viewable and touchable surfaces to give your furniture a smooth silky touch. You will find that sanding is very fast and easy, well worth your time.

You will need some teak oil, a clean 1" and 3" paint brush, some clean cotton rags, good light and plenty of space to work in. Be sure to wear some comfortable work clothes. Wearing household gloves to keep the oil off your hands is a good idea as well. We recommend spreading some plastic drop cloths outdoors for your work station.

The oil can be applied with paint brushes or cotton cloth wipe, starting from the top and working downwards. The surface should be left wet but try to avoid leaving too much surplus oil behind as you work. If you have a large quantity of teak and want to seriously reduce the time, we would suggest using a plastic spray bottle to apply the oil. With this method you should turn all of your teak upside down, then spray and wipe the bottom side first, then turn the teak upright and spray/wipe the oil on the top side. You will find the spraying method will oil between the slats very nicely.

After about 5 - 15 minutes the oil will start to become 'tacky'. At this point the surface of the furniture should be wiped down with a clean cotton rag, carefully removing all surplus oil.

One coat is usually sufficient but while you are already set up it's suggested to apply a second coat to the viewable surfaces after a minimum of one hour from the first coat application. Once you've completed the oiling and the surface is touch dry, a second clean rag can be used to buff up the surface.

Please be sure to dispose of any used rags and cleaning cloth carefully and in accordance with the instructions from the oil manufacturer.

TEAK SEALERS

Proprietary teak sealers such as SEMCO Honeytone color (recommended) or Sikkens Cetol products can also be used especially in moist or marine climates. Apply these sealers as described from the manufacturer.

So turn on your favorite music and make this an enjoyable occasion. Many people find caring for their teak furniture a real feel good experience. Others simply hire a teak service person to handle the rejuvenation. Then again most just let their teak age gracefully with no maintenance whatsoever. Regardless, teak outdoor furniture requires less costly maintenance than most other high end types and offers a continuing rich natural look for many decades.

We are confident that you will love your teak furniture!
Compliments of Wood-Joy