Your Guide to Oiling Teak Furniture
Teak furniture is a wonderful investment, particularly when you want to convey a sense of luxury in your home. But with almost every luxury material, you have to maintain it in order for it to look its best. When it comes to teak furniture, you'll probably want to think about oiling it so that it keeps its rich, deep colour. Here's how to go about doing that.
Make sure your furniture is clean. Before oiling your furniture, it has to be clean. Usually, a simple mild soap and water solution would be totally fine for this. If you want to be extra careful, you can also purchase specialist teak cleaners from home and garden centres. It's really important that your furniture is totally dry before applying any oil, so let it dry for a full day after cleaning it.
Choosing a teak oil. If you see something marketed as teak oil in your local home and garden centre, the chances are that it's going to do the trick. But actually, there are two main types: tung oil and linseed oil. Tung oil tends to provide a warmer and glossier finish than linseed oil, so that is something to keep in mind, although it tends to take a few days to dry, which can be annoying for some people. Also read the packaging of the oil carefully because some will come with a tint, which you may or may not want.
Applying the oil. First of all, you will need a wide brush to apply the teak oil. Apply several coats until a matte finish is achieved. This indicates that the oil is fully soaked into the wood, because you don't want it to just sit on the surface of the furniture. Let it rest for half an hour and then wipe the surface with a clean cloth to absorb all of the excess oil. You may then want to buff the surface with another cloth to create an appealing finish.
Reapply and reapply again. Unfortunately, oiling teak is not a one-time only job. In order to maintain the colour of the teak, and a glossy surface, you'll have to repeat this process every few months.
Last but not least, if you are using teak furniture for outdoor use, such as on a patio, then it's best not to oil it all. This is because the oil can encourage mould and mildew growth. For outdoor teak furniture, teak sealer could be a better idea, or you can take advantage of teak's natural mold-resistant properties and let it age naturally.