How To Care For Teak Furniture

Teak furniture is highly prized because it is considered to be a very beautiful and durable tropical hardwood. It is a strong, tightly knit wood with few knots and it does not warp very easily. The fact that it is behaves better in high humidity then most woods accounts for why it is used to make high quality furniture in so many tropical countries on both sides of the ocean.

Teak also holds up well in water (even salt water!) and it also withstands cold temperatures well. The fact that it was so hard, dense and versatile which once made it very popular with British and Nordic shipbuilders. It is still the most prized wood when it comes to building yachts and their fixtures today.

Another great quality that teak has that is not shared by many other woods that are used to construct furniture is that it is termite proof. This resistance to being eaten by bugs makes it a good investment.

Another nice thing about teak is that it looks unique. The grain of the wood is never even giving it a fluid wavy appearance. The curvaceous appearance of the grain is very flattering on furniture that is also carved or molded to look curvy. The wood grain of teak also ages in a very graceful way that makes it look more valuable as time passes.

Teak does not require any special treatment to take care of it. However if you leave the furniture out doors for too long without rubbing it with oil it will eventually turn grey. If you want your teak furniture to maintain its rich red or golden honey color then you should apply teak oil (available online and in hardware stores) every couple of months. However if your teak furniture does turn grey as the result of exposure to the element you can usually remove this silver coating with a soft brush and soap and water.

One caveat before you oil you teak furniture – make sure that it is completely dry before you apply any kind of treatment. If you apply oil while the furniture is wet then any moisture trapped between the teak wood and the oil will cause black mildew spots to mar it. Usually it takes two full days for teak furniture to dry after it has been rinsed with a hose or rained on so make sure you wait at least this long before you apply any teak oil. You should also make sure that the teak item is free of dirt or dust before you oil it as well.

Always remember to use teak oil and not any other type of oil to clean your teak furniture or you may ruin it. If you can’t find teak oil in your usual shopping outlets then try boat shops where it is commonly used to polish up the wood fixtures on luxury vessels.

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