Teak Finishing

Creating furniture from teakwood is not a smooth process—at least not until the teak finishing is applied.  Most teak furniture is naturally finished, meaning that the teakwood is sanded down to a smooth feel with fine grit sandpaper.  At this point, several coats of teak oil are applied to the wood to give the furniture a smooth and shiny surface, friendly to furniture rearranging home owners.  This process is the most common teak finishing that is applied to pieces. 

However, there are also other forms of teak finishing, such as the honey finish.  In this process, the furniture is fine-sanded in the beginning and then covered with a natural teak oil, as well as UV protective coating.  This type of teak refinishing takes a deeper penetration and gets into the pours of the wood.  It also has a more stretchy quality and can be better suited to outdoor conditions, with varying temperatures. 

Isn't it true that teakwood produces natural oils which can be used to extend the life of your wooden furniture and keep the distinctive teak color for years on end?  Teakwood does have a natural oil that can help the wood to survive in exposed conditions.  However, you cannot simply leave the wood outside with no other treatment and subjected to extreme weather, expecting there to be no significant change.  Eventually the wood will be left open to water damage, sun damage and mildew damage.  The wood may split, dry up or turn into a duller gray color.  The gray teak stain however is a normal reaction and a little bit of teak care can freshen the look up with a new shine. 

Need Help In Teak Finishing?

If restoration or teak refinishing is the only problem, then this can easily be resolved by a consulting a teak finishing company who specializes in treating and repairing teakwood furniture or finding some do-it-yourself kits for simple finishing jobs.   How about teak varnish?  Does it offer adequate protection?  It can protect the wood against drying and splitting, as well as dirt and oil.  However, varnish cannot protect teakwood against the sun (meaning an additional UV coat may be needed) and the teak doesn't hold the varnish as well as other woods.

By nature, teakwood is a very durable wood which makes for the highest quality of furniture.  It is a wood that is dense, rich in oil, and if aged properly, impervious to splitting and even pests like termites.  If the wood is regularly taken care of, teakwood furniture can be maintained over multiple generations with the rich colors you remember from purchase.  Little wonder teakwood it is a favorite of vintage furniture collectors!