Teak Wood: Care & Characteristics
Cleaning and Maintenance
Treating teak with oils or other preservatives is not necessary for protection, and will not extend the life of your furniture. However, if you prefer to keep your teak furniture at its original golden color instead of letting it weather to a silvery-gray patina, our Teak Maintenance Products can help maintain the wood's hue:
- For stained or dirty teak, Frontgate's Teak Cleaner is a strong solution that removes all accumulated dirt and grease from the wood's surface.
- Often used in conjunction with the cleaner solution, our Teak Protector penetrates deep into the timber, dissolving away any remaining grease and dirt. The bleaching action of the brightener also restores some of the original natural surface color of the timber.
Care of Teak
Teak does not require any special maintenance other than an occasional cleaning. If left to age naturally outdoors, the surface of the wood will gradually change to a soft silvery-grey as the pigments fade. We recommend that you maintain the silver patina with regular, gentle cleaning with soft-soap flakes dissolved in warm water (not detergent).
Be sure to use a non-abrasive brush or sponge when cleaning, and avoid using steel wool or wire brushes. When finished, rinse the entire piece of furniture with low-pressure water to remove any dirt or remaining solution.
Characteristics of Teak Wood
Teak is regarded as one of the most beautiful, high-quality woods manufactured today. It's a very dense, straight-grained hardwood with a coarse texture, high natural oil content, and a distinctively aromatic scent (often compared to leather).
Widely renowned for its durability and resistance to rotting, teak is almost impervious to the effects of sun, rain, frost, and snow. Its high level of resinous oil acts as a natural insect repellent, giving it a very high resistance to termites. Due to its hard-wearing nature, teak has been the timber of choice in shipbuilding for hundreds of years.
It is also a popular material for outdoor furnishings. Many other hardwoods are often marketed as "teak substitutes," but no other material performs to the same standards as genuine teak.
Another popular trait of teak wood is its weathering tendency. Over time, teak furniture will attain a handsome silvery-gray patina. This process takes approximately nine months, depending on the amount of sunlight and rain exposure. During weathering, a slight lifting of the grain may occur on the tops of the arms and legs, and you may even see a few cracks. This is not considered a defect, but a natural expanding and contracting of the wood. The grain will return to its original smooth finish after the weathering process is complete.
You'll find a wide assortment of finely-crafted teak furnishings and accents at Frontgate. |