Four Things About Teak Outdoor Furniture You Must Know

As an extremely durable and low-maintenance hardwood, teak is a widely used favorite when it comes to outdoor furniture. Teak is distinctive with its impermeability, natural beauty, and resistance to rot and mold. These characteristics make teak the preferred wood. So teak outdoor furniture is an important collection at Shinlin Furniture.

What’s more, teak furniture care couldn’t be more simple. Here, we’re breaking everything you need to know about teak outdoor furniture care.

1.   How Teak Ages Naturally

Generally there are two different ways your teak outdoor furniture to look—honey brown and fresh, or patinaed and silver. Both are completely normal results of this material’s unique aging process. You should consider which of teak’s two states you want to preserve before you start a teak furniture care regimen.

Thanks to teak’s high natural oil content, new teak furniture is typically a honey brown color, with a polished finish. Teak garden furniture age naturally when it is left outdoors. These surface oils evaporate and—over the course of 9-12 months—the sun’s UV light will turn teak’s brown color will into a silver-gray patina. This weathering doesn’t impact the durability of the teak, but it does give teak a more aged aesthetic.

Now you can choose which aesthetic you prefer—the polished look of new teak or the patina of teak’s weathered state.

2. How To Maintain Natural Teak

To maintain the golden-brown hue of new teak, UV protection is an essential step in your teak furniture care regimen. The best option is to place your teak outdoor furniture under the parasol or shade. Or just place them in an area that doesn’t receive direct sunlight. You can also apply a teak oil, color guard, or sealer to prevent the aging process. If your teak has already started to weather, use a good teak cleaner or hand-sand your piece with fine-grit sandpaper. It will remove the outer grey layer and restore the original golden shade.

3. How To Maintain Weathered Teak

Many customers choose to let their teak outdoor furniture weather to a silver-gray. They like its virtually maintenance-free and choose to let their teak outdoor furniture weather to a silver-gray, because weathered teak garden furniture gives off a beautifully aged finish and requires minimal care. The good news is that doing so is very easy. Within 5-12 months of leaving your teak furniture outdoors in the sun, it will begin to develop a gray patina. You can speed up the process by using a graying agent which help prevent the adhesion of dirt and mildew.

4. How To Clean Teak Outdoor Furniture

You can clean teak outdoor furniture with a soft-bristled brush and soapy water which will remove most accumulated dirt. But you do have to do such thorough cleaning too often. Annual cleaning before you drag them out form warehouse is advised. To remove and prevent mold and mildew, you can use a mold and mildew cleaner. You can also use a stain-shield solution to prevent food or drink stains. It creates a water-based shield that prevents stains from seeping through.

It’s also important to know what not to do when it comes to teak outdoor furniture care. Do avoid pressure-washing, which can scour and roughen the wood’s surface, or steel wool, which can create rust spots.