Greetings,
what is the best way to oil, finish and/or preserve an outdoor teak set? This is a new set that I purchased recently unfinished. I want to make sure that the table doesn’t get stained from glass rings and food and resist the weather. Thanks.
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Replies
Best solution is to do nothing and let it turn silver grey naturally. An annual washdown with a hose keeps them fresh. This is the whole point in using teak--it weathers beautifully, needing minimal maintenance. I've done this with the teak benches I put together for my yard.
At the other extreme you could apply 6 coats of true Marine Spar Varnish, touch up any dings as they occur, and add a refresher coat about annually, depending on the amount of sun. Eventually these need to be stripped and the process completed. I demonstsrate a degree of insanity by doing this on the teak "brightwork" on my sail boat. It is a lot of work.
Alternatively, you could put on deck finishes, like Penofin or Messner UV that do contain some pigment. These don't require lots of coats, since they shouldn't build any sort of film. They will also probably require an annual recoat, again depending on how much sun it gets.
We use Watco Teak Oil annually. We clean the furniture prior to application.
This allows us to enjoy the rich teak color almost year 'round and it provides protection from water spots, etc..
It is some work, but we feel it is well worth it.
We have 10 chairs, 1 large table (sits 10 people), 3 side tables and 2 foot stools; these take 1 full day, 2 people to clean and apply 2 coats of oil.
Turn on the music, have a cooler near by ;)
I would make a cover of a fabric called Sunbrella to protect it form the sun. Once protected from the sun, teak can pretty much take care of itself.
Thank you all for your replies.Yes, teak is beautiful when left alone in the sun, but our outdoors dining table is displaying all of the glass rings, fingerprints and BBQ sauce from past feeding frenzies. A little protection is warrented for the table, I think.I will follow your advice and apply one of the recommended products above after I sand the top and clean it. Hopefully, it will shed the BBQ sauce a bit better.Best regards, ATOMA
The best advise is to hit it with a hose after the feeding frenzy. If really meticulous, use a scrub brush with the water. Teak is tough.
Seriously, to get indoor type appearance on outdoor furniture requires lots of regular maintenance and periodic refinishing. There is no miracle coating, except the patina that nature provides. You would still have to clean the table after use.
Otherwise, use tablecloths or placemats and coasters while using, and cover with the sunbrella cover between uses.
You could try using a picnic table cloth.
"our outdoors dining table is displaying all of the glass rings, fingerprints and BBQ sauce from past feeding frenzies. A little protection is warrented for the table, I think."
I wouldn't waste my time adding any kind of protection, especially on teak.
Those marks you're not fond of will largely disappear with a bucket of hot water, some detergent and/or vinegar and a stiff bristled brush.
I've seldom seen an outdoor piece of furniture look good with a finish, except for the first few months, unless the owner is prepared to go through a fair amount of work on a yearly basis to maintain those good looks. Owners willing to make that kind of effort are about as common as hens teeth.
I'd say just leave it bare and let it age in its own way. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
But my "hen" has teeth!! Oh, not THIS kind of hen. Thanks, I'll do your suggestion. How about Mahogany furniture?
Whilst not quite as durable as teak mahogany too will age to an attractive grey over a period of a year or two. The only caution is that durable woods used in exterior locations tend to turn black in high pollution areas, eg, some cities.
'Durable' in timber technology terms means timbers that can be expected to give service of between 20 and 25 years in exposed locations, eg, soil contact and exposure to the elements. Examples of species that fall into this category are white oaks, European oaks, south American mahogany, walnuts, Thuya plicata (western red cedar), some species within the Shorea genus, iroko and teak.
Examples of 'non-durable' woods include maples, red oaks, elms, many pines, cherry, etc. Slainte.
Richard Jones Furniture
Edited 8/23/2008 8:17 pm by SgianDubh
I would vote to leave it unfinished. However, I have used sikkens cetol 1 combined with cetol 23 on my garage doors and front doors facing west. I am able to refinish them without having to strip the old finish completely.
I don't know about Teak, I can't afford it. But anyway I have built many Adirondack Chairs with Sassafras wood. I use a product called Olympic Maximum Clear waterproofing. It has a two year guarantee on sun fade. And I always set my wet beer bottle on the armrest and It hasn't left a ring yet. I don't know how it would work on Teak.
Thank you all again,
I think I'll use a waterproofing compound, such as Thompson's or something suggested above that I can find in the store. This should help in avoiding the "embarrassing" spots and help protect the table from staining. I knew the ol' FWW clan would be glad to help.ATOMA
atoma,Don't bother with Thompson's. It's all hype, no performance. I don't know how they get away with the advertising claims they make. It makes woods like redwood look good briefly, but doesn't provide any lasting water protection at all. It will not help on teak. Teak's natural oils are more effective and will cause the Thompson's to immediately shed anyway.Rich
Please, no Thompson's. You will regret using that stuff by this time next year if not sooner.
Teak has a natural oiliness that makes it great for boat decks, etc. Use either the Watco (I have used that product, but it must be reapplied fairly regularly) or, if you just want to preserve the new look of the grain, go with the marine spar varnish.
Teak is very resilient on its own merit. Really do some research before you put anything on it. You might consider sending your friends and family to some sort of Emily Post school to prevent the spills and stains that you are afraid of.
I used to leave our teak furniture unfinished but decided that it's worth the small amount of work to oil it annually. I used Watco's teak finish, it's cheap and does the job.
Keep in mind that a teak oil won't seal the wood or protect it from stains, but teak is hardy stuff and most stains will come off with a simple hosing.
Oiled teak simply looks better than weathered teak to my eyes.
Look into your local Marine hardware store / Boat store. They will always have teak cleaning and finishing products avalible.
I've used this stuff with good success on boat teak.
http://www.semcoteakproducts.com/semco_products.htm
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