Teakwood Care

Teakwood furniture is some of the most beautiful vintage types of furniture collectors and aesthetically-inclined homeowners can find.  These trees from southern Asia can grow as high as 40 meters tall and offer sturdy, durable wood that can be easily worked into finely crafted pieces.  Teakwood furniture enjoyed its peak popularity during the 1950's decade but recently has undergone its second boom among the younger generation.  By nature, teakwood is resistant to termites and water damage.  However, over time the teakwood can be affected by age, sun damage, extreme temperatures and other factors that will dull the original color.  You can find a teakwood care restoration specialist or provide the teakwood care yourself.  Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to get started in teakwood care.

Lessons In Teakwood Care

First, begin by washing the teak piece with little soap and water.  This gets rid of the oxidation as well as the dirt on the surface.  Let the wood dry overnight.  Next, sand the wood with fine grain sandpaper.  What kind of grit is recommendable?  320 grit is an adequate choice.  After sanding you will notice that the original color of the teak will start to return.  Layers of dirty and oxidation have a way of hiding the color!  Remember to sand lightly to avoid scratching and follow the direction of the grain when you sand, not against the grain. 

After sanding, and after a significant color change, use a dry cloth to wipe away any residue from the wood.  The wood must be clean before you continue on to the next step, which is to apply the teak oil.  How can you safely apply the teak oil for the maximum effect?  Use a brush lightly and evenly and apply the strokes a minimum of three times.  Between coats, allow one hour to pass so that the oil can fully saturate the wood.  How many coats should be applied?  You have to determine this answer by the color of the wood, which will change slightly after the coating.  After the oil becomes dry you should clean the surface oil off of the wood, which will not affect the color since that oil has already penetrated into the pores.

Remember that leaving teak unattended and open to damaging weather conditions can erode the quality and color of the wood, while ignoring steps in the teakwood care process (especially clean up and drying) can result in the gray color returning.  Oxidation happens when poor quality oil is used and when the oil fails to penetrate deeply beyond one coating.  You can take these simple steps to restore the color in your teak.  After all, underneath all of that dust, oxidation and wear is a wonderful piece of vintage teak furniture just waiting to shine!