Care of Teak Garden Furniture

The natural teak supplied by us is a light golden colour when new. This will gradually weather to a silvery grey if left outside starting from about 6 –12 weeks old and completely silver by the time it is 18-24 months old dependant upon the amount of sun and rain the furniture is subject to. This happens to the very top surface of the wood only and in no way affects the life or durability of the wood.

Teak is a natural product and as such reacts to environmental changes particularly temperature and humidity. It is to be expected that small cracks will appear in the wood as the furniture reacts to its environment. These will often open and close at different times of the year and are perfectly normal, again in no way affecting the structural integrity of the wood. Often known as 'shakes' this splitting of the grain is part of the timbers natural defence mechanism to the elements and can happen at any time in the wood’s life from first delivery to many years later.

We recommend that you clean your furniture once a year using a bowl of warm soapy water and a good stiff brush, and brush along the grain of the wood. This will lift out any spores of lichen algae and moss and any ingrained dirt. An excellent alternative is the use of a power washer. These should only be used with the jet on a wide or fan setting. If the pressure is adjustable set it to 60-80 bar (900-1200psi) and work along the wood at a distance of 15-20cm (6-8”) from the surface. This method has the side effect of removing the silvery layer and if when dry a light sanding is applied along the grain the original colour and look will have been restored.

One of the most common questions we are asked is do I need to oil the furniture? The simple answer is no, there is no discernable increase in the longevity of teak through oiling. There are many products on the market including the misleadingly named Teak oil. Generally regarded as a refined linseed oil, teak oil was originally developed as an alternative to wax polish for interior teak and wooden furniture. Whilst with care it can be used on exterior teak there is very little benefit to the wood other than keeping a new look to the furniture albeit darker than original. Further, the effect of teak oil lasts only a few weeks and weighed against the potential 'burning' caused through the acidity of the oil and the potential risk of moisture and dirt retention within the oil we do not recommend its’ use.

With regard to covers, our advice is that used correctly they will certainly minimize the ingress of dirt into the grain of the wood. Again they will not increase the life of the wood and we would offer a word of caution in that the wood must be dry before long-term covering, othwerwise it is possible to trap moisture between the furniture and cover which can settle and cause 'spotting' or mould growth.