How to Care For Teak Wood Furniture

Getting a furniture made of teak wood is not very cheap. Teak wood is very strong, resistant and durable. Before making a teak wood furniture purchase, it is important to know how to clean and maintain them.

 There are two types of teak wood furniture. Which are the teak oiled and fine sanded teak? Though they are the same type of wood, they are both different in their finishing.

 This form of teak furniture usually looks darker than the finely sanded one because of the oil used to finish it's crafting. Though teak wood naturally has a bit of oil, getting an oiled teak piece of furniture helps prevent spills from permanently staining the wooden grain.

Oiled Teak

 It can be oiled periodically to keep its appearance. It can be done using exclusively teak oil.

 Fine Sanded Teak

Fine sanded teak furniture comes in its natural light brown color. When used inside the house, with time, the light color turns to a darker shade of brown. But when put outside, the rays of the sun touching it every day gradually makes it lighter, giving it a gray to silver color. Called 'patina,' this color gives the teak wood a unique look, and this look compliments the environment.

 This type of teak needs little or no maintenance. It is as durable as teak oiled wood.

 Cleaning and Caring for Teak Wood Furniture

 Knowing how to care for teak furniture is necessary for it to last longer. Thankfully, it does not take much to care for teak wood. When the wood is dirty, you can clean it using a piece of cloth, some water and mild soap, or just water, and a medium-sized brush. After which you rinse off to remove the tons of dirt that had been stuck on the wood grain.

 After doing this, you could sandpaper the wood surface to get rid of stubborn dirt and also revive the original color of the teak. Be careful when sanding to avoid ruining the surface and also sand along the wood grain, not against it.

You are strongly advised not to use a steel or wire material when cleaning. Doing this would not only leave permanent marks on the wood but would cause rusting and discoloration of the teak.

 If you have a teak oiled furniture, after cleaning and sanding; using a medium-sized bristle brush, a piece cotton fabric, and teak oil, apply teak oil to the furniture, working downwards. In some minutes, between 10 to 15 minutes, use your clean piece of cloth to wipe away the excess oil. You can apply a second coat if you wish. However, this should be done after 40 to 60 minutes. In about an hour, use another cloth to polish the surface, giving your teak wood a look that is as good as new. Remember to put on overalls and work gloves as oiling teak wood can be a messy job.

 For fine sanded teak, after washing and sanding, there is little or nothing left to be done on it. When you care for teak wood the proper way, you will use it for decades without fear of damage.