Beautiful Restoration Techniques for Teak Furniture

Teak wood furniture is very beautiful, and an especially popular choice for the outdoors. While brand-new teak wood furniture has a beautiful honey color, over time and exposure to sun and the elements, the color of the wood changes to a silver-gray. While some people actually prefer the silver-gray color of aged teak wood, there are some simple restoration techniques you can use to restore the original color of the wood.

Cleaning the Wood

The first step to restoring the color of teak wood furniture is to clean it carefully. This can be done with a mild detergent and water solution, using a soft bristle brush. You will see that this cleaning will begin to remove the gray patina that has built up on the teak wood. If your wood furniture is only a few years old, this cleaning might be all that you need to restore the original color. However, if the wood is even more aged, you might need to use fine-grade sandpaper to remove a small portion of the outer layer of the wood. To do this, allow the wood to dry thoroughly after cleaning before sanding, and be careful to only remove a small amount of the wood surface. Some people also prefer to use a chemical stripper designed for teak wood instead of sanding the wood.

Using Teak Oil

After the wood has been cleaned and the gray patina has been removed, you can use teak oil to restore its luster and brighten the appearance of the wood. Keep in mind that teak oil is only meant to improve the appearance of the wood, as it does not protect the wood from the environment or future weathering. Teak oil does bring out the beauty of the wood, so it is normally used even if it doesn't provide protection.

Keeping Your Teak Wood Furniture Looking Great

Once you get your teak wood furniture restored to its original honey wood color, you'll want to protect it so that the finish stays beautiful for as long as possible. Since the traditional teak oil isn't designed to protect the wood, only to beautify it, if you want to retain the wood's original beauty, you will need to find other ways to protect your furniture. Many people prefer to use waterproof covers on outdoor teak furniture when it's not in use since this not only protects against the rain and moisture but also provides protection against the damaging UV rays of the sun. You might also want to consider bringing your teak wood furniture indoors during the winter months. If you do this, make sure to bring the furniture indoors before the weather turns cold, so that you are not abruptly moving the furniture from one temperature extreme to another. By doing this, you will reduce the chances that the wood will split when being moved from the cold outdoors into the heated indoors of your home. By taking these few extra precautions with your teak wood furniture, it will remain bright and beautiful for a much longer time.