CARE & CLEANING

Paint provides the longest lasting protection but it hides the wood. If we want the natural beauty of the wood to show, we must apply a clear coating. The choices are oil, sealer, or varnish.
Teak is dissolved by strong cleaners, so use the mildest cleaner that does the job. A 75/25 mixture of liquid laundry detergent and bleach is adequate. Apply this mixture with a brush, scrubbing lightly with the grain. Leave it on the wood for several minutes to give the detergent time to suspend the dirt and the bleach time to lighten the wood, then rinse the wood thoroughly, brushing it to clear the grain.

RESTORATION

To restore your teak furniture to its original color, you can simply sand it lightly with a fine grain sandpaper and then reapply teak oil or just leave it as it is. In time, it will of course turn gray again. The photos above show before and after wood conditions of weathered teak furniture. Because this is a quality piece of teak outdoor furniture, weather and harsh conditions have had little effect on the structural integrity of the piece. Underneath the oxidation is a beautiful piece of furniture. Restoration can be done as follows.
•    Wash the wood with a mild soap and warm water. This will remove surface dirt and some of the oxidation on the surface of the wood. There are many different products available on the market for cleaning teak wood furniture and teak wood, however we do not make any specific recommendations for any one product.
•    After cleaning the wood, let it dry overnight and then you can continue the next day. The next step is to sand the wood with a fine grain sandpaper. 320 grit is fine for this purpose. The sanding will reveal the true color of the wood underneath the layers of oxidation and dirt. This is shown in the above photo (center). Sand lightly and be sure that you always follow the direction of the grain while sanding. Never sand against the grain!
•    Once the wood is sanded and looks like the photo above, use a clean, dry cotton cloth to wipe any residual sanding dust from the wood. You need to make sure the wood is clean and dry before you apply any finish to it.
•    The final step is to apply the teak wood. We recommend you use a brush to apply the teak oil in a light, yet even application at least three times. Allow at least one hour between coats to allow the teak oil to saturate the wood. You can decide on how many coats to apply by the color of the wood after each coat.