Taking Care of Your Teak Outdoor Furniture

Teak can either be really easy to take care of, or it can be a labor of love. It can be very easy if you do one of two things:

• keep it indoors
• enjoy a "weathered" look

Teak looks great as indoor furniture. With a skillful application of teak oil, the finish and glow will last generations with only a waxing or oil application every two to three years. And that is considering daily use. If you have teak folding chairs that are stored much of the time, the finish can last much longer without touch up.

For teak furniture that is used outdoors, keeping the glow will take a bit more work. In boating this is called "bright work" and is not one of the things boaters look forward to. The amount of work involved depends on how far the wood has weathered. If the weathering is minimal, then a rub down with some good quality teak oil should get you by for another season. If the furniture is starting to take on the silvery grey appearance, then you will likely need to lightly sand the surface before applying the finish. This is the "labor of love" I mentioned before.

The other "easy" way to take care of your teak is to not do much at all. This is one of the beauties of owning teak furniture. Teak wood is very durable and actually weathers very nicely. Over the seasons the wood takes on a special character and nature brings out a nice smooth silvery gray. You can see this is some parks with wooden benches. You know that this wood is durable to be used in such public spaces with so little time taken for its care.

Teak is truly a material for all seasons and for all temperaments.

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