Maintenance of teak
Teak is a beautiful and durable type of wood, which has a number of qualities that make the type of wood particularly suitable for outdoor furniture. The type of wood is both very hard and has a naturally high content of oil. Furniture, produced in teak, is therefore well suitable for the Scandinavian weather conditions.
Because teak is a natural material, surface changes in the wood will occur in over time, these changes could for example be: smaller cracks in the top layer of the wood. Furthermore, untreated teak furniture will eventually get a beautiful gray-patinated surface. Neither has any significance for the durability of the furniture - the changes only have cosmetic significance. And with the right care, your teak furniture can last for many years. Here you therefore get advice and guidance on how to maintain your teak furniture, so you have the best conditions to be able to enjoy the furniture season after season.
Choose the right treatment
When acquiring teak furniture, you need to consider what look you want to achieve. If you choose to leave your furniture untreated, the color of the teak will turn into a silver-gray surface, which are the characteristic of untreated teak. If, on the other hand, you want to maintain the warm, reddish-brown color, the furniture requires regular maintenance with teak oil.
Cleaning
Depending on where you store your teak furniture - whether it is in the open air or under a roof all year round - it will require different kinds of care in the future. Most often, teak furniture should be cleaned and possibly. treated at least once a year. Regular cleaning prevents dirt and algae from discoloring the wood. You can advantageously give your furniture a loving hand in the spring before the summer really takes hold. For cleaning teak furniture, use a damp cloth or sponge wrung out in soapy water. Again, remember to brush in the direction of the veins. Minor stains can often be removed with this treatment, but should regular cleaning not be sufficient, we recommend using a
Wood Cleaner for cleaning. Then rinse the furniture thoroughly with water afterwards. Feel free to repeat the treatment to achieve the best result. If you have minor stains that you want to remove, you can also use fine sandpaper.
Treatment with teak oil
Treatment with teak oil must take place before the wood begins to appear dry and pale. To achieve the best result, it is important that the teak furniture is thoroughly cleaned before the oil treatment. Once you have cleaned the furniture, the teak must be allowed to dry completely before sanding the surface with fine sandpaper. The oil can then be applied. While applying oil, you should as far as possible avoid placing the furniture in direct sunlight.
An alternative treatment with Wood Protector or "Soap shavings"
It is not a must, to treat your teak furniture with oil. If treated incorrectly, you can risk destroying the wood's ability to withstand the Scandinavian weather conditions, because you can risk closing fungal spores behind the layer of oil. Therefore, if you choose to treat your teak furniture with oil, it is important that you do it carefully.
If you want to protect your furniture, there is an alternative to oil treatment. You can also choose to maintain your teak furniture with a Wood Protection or with Danish "soap shavings". Wood Protection protects your teak furniture from moisture and water penetration. It is a water-based wood protection with environmentally friendly nanotechnology. For treatment with soap shavings, mix 2 decilitres of soap shavings with 1 liter of warm water. Once the mass is completely mixed together, set it to cool until the consistency becomes mushy. Then apply the "porridge" on your furniture with a cotton cloth. Then clean after with a cloth or sponge. Finally, rinse the furniture thoroughly with water. Feel free to repeat the procedure to achieve the best possible result. During the last treatment, do not rinse with water, but simply polish the surface with fine sandpaper. The soap film will protect the wood.
Whether you choose one or another treatment method, it is important to clean your teak furniture regularly, as described above.
Weather conditions and storage options
Over time, changing weather conditions and humidity can cause the wood's veins to rise and create a rough surface. It will be possible to sand it down with fine sandpaper. In addition, due to weathering, very small cracks can occur in the wood. Smaller cracks do not affect the durability of the wood - again, these are only external flaws. However, in order to take the best possible care of your teak furniture, we recommend that they are stored in an unheated room during the winter months, e.g. the attic or basement. Alternatively, you can leave the teak furniture outside, but covered. However, it is important that the cover is loose to ensure the necessary air circulation that is needed to prevent condensation from accumulating and turning into mold. Whether you choose one or another storage method, the furniture should only be stored away for winter when it is sompletely dry.
If you follow the advice listed here and the instructions provided, your teak furniture will be in good condition for the next many years to come.
