FAQ Teak Outdoor Furniture

Frequently asked questions about Teak outdoor furniture in relation to oiling and staining is a topic we at Sydney Staining Services love talking about.

FAQ Teak Outdoor Furniture, when you have bought teak outdoor furniture and you are wondering: 

1. Should I oil or stain the furniture, or just let it be?

We tend to recommend the latter just because teak doesn’t need any maintenance, but if you ask us if we oil our own teak the answer is Yes we do. Reason being that we all love the golden honey colour of teak outdoor furniture, it looks warm, inviting and cared for.

A lot of people like the silver grey colour of weathered teak, that makes it easy for them. Funny anecdote is that we  actually have customers that wants us to take their newly bought furniture and apply Golden Care Instant Teak to go straight to the silver grey colour.

Benefits of doing that is that you get a very even controlled and attractive colour and of course you get it immediately.  

To summarize this: The Teak has no need for you to apply oil, stain or teak protector, it’s about what you prefer in terms of colour. If you are like us, then you would definitely protect the colour of the teak and even enhance it with suitable products. 

2. Why is teak going silver grey?

Teak has high oil content that makes it perfect for all types of weathers. When you put the furniture outside, the natural oil comes to the surface and is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet light. This causes the oil to oxidize and produce a residue that makes the surface become grey. This grey layer of oxidized oil is what is called patina. It is a natural feature of teak to develop patina. 

3. How do I clean Teak outdoor furniture?

Start with hosing the furniture down, keep on hosing for at least a good 5 minutes.

Have a bucket of soapy warm water ready.

Use a soft bristle brush, a kitchen brush thats soft enough.

Always clean following the grain of the timber. 

Don’t put too much pressure, rather be intense in how many strokes you do. 

Make sure that the furniture is wet the entire cleaning process.

If it’s discolored or very weathered consider using a teak cleaner / teak brightener from golden care if you care about the environment or any brand if you don’t. 

Rinse the setting thoroughly after cleaning to make sure you don’t have any soap / detergent / bleach or products inside the timber still. 

 Let it dry and if it’s still not clean, repeat or use sandpaper on the spots you didn’t get out. 120-240 grit.

Get a quote right now instead of spending the weekend on teak maintenance.

Par Arnoldson, the founder of Fornya, is a Teak Maintenance Specialist based in Sydney, Australia.