How to Care for Teak Furniture

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With the pool construction nearing an end, we kicked it in high gear to find all the accessories we wanted for the deck.

Years ago, we found an outdoor teak furniture set at Kroger for $160. What?!?? Actually it was 12 years ago!!! We have never found another set like it so we did everything we could to care for it.

Excuse the supervisor….she wanted to be sure the guys were working hard. I believe she offered them all Gatorades shortly after this was taken.

Teak is a great wood for outdoor furniture. It’s a hard wood therefore makes sturdy furniture. Naturally occurring in Southern Asia, teak is weather resistant and can take on the toughest rains! Perfect for our hot & humid southern summers! However, unlike other hard woods, teak needs lots of love to keep its natural beauty. Sun can drain the wood of its color and moisture so it requires some oiling every few years.

In the 12 years we’ve owned this furniture I’ve only oiled it 2 times before today! But….knowing what I wanted pushed me to do it the right way this time.

First vacuum all the debris and spider webs off the underside. Then give it a hose down, cleaning off any leftover dirt. Before the next step, you need to be sure it is completely dry!!!!

Freshly washed and dried. You can see where the cushions have saved it from some damage.

The next order of business was to oil the teak! For this you need these supplies:

Teak oil – like this
Staining sponges – like these
Gloves – like these
Patience – it isn’t a perfect one coat and I’m done type of job

Teak oil hardens INSIDE the wood so several coats are required to get the look you desire. AND if you’ve not oiled it in a long time…it will absorb the oil at lighting speeds.

Using your stain sponges, pour the oil a little at a time. You don’t want the sponge getting all the oil. And then you wipe. It’s just that simple. Try to follow the grain of the wood but some pieces are more difficult to do this with.