Teak Furniture - How to Care for it Properly

Many finer homes and businesses feature beautiful indoor and outdoor furniture made from teak. Although the obvious reason is the beauty that comes from teak, there are many benefits to choosing this type of wood. Saturated with natural oils required to survive the rainforest where teak grows, this wood is naturally resistant to rot, insects, and outdoor elements. Therefore, while the price of teak furniture is generally a little more than you would pay for cedar, redwood, or oak, the fact that teak furniture is strong and durable, it is money well spent.

However, because you will spend more for quality teak furniture, it is important to know how to care for your teak furniture to enhance its beauty and help it last even longer than normal. Keep in mind that the nice thing about teak is that it can be made for both indoor and outdoor furniture. Regardless of where the teak furniture is placed, you can be sure it will look stunning and complement any home or patio.

The key with teak furniture is to use products that will bring out its natural color. Since teak varies from a blonde to golden amber to a rich, warm caramel, choosing the right product is important. Unfortunately, even with teak, if any wood furniture is left outdoors without being treated, it will battle the elements. The advantage of choosing teak furniture is that it has the ability to fight a little harder. However, by using quality products to care for your teak furniture, it will retain its smooth finish, stay strong, and last for years longer.

You will find a number of excellent products on the market specifically designed for teak furniture. In addition, there are a few things you can do as well. To help remove the build-up of moss, you should wash off your teak furniture occasionally with good, old-fashioned soap and water. Just make sure you do the washing by hand, never using a power washer that can damage the furniture. You also want to make sure any soap used is nontoxic. Simply check with your local gardening center or hardware store for the best product sold in your area.

Now, some people prefer to apply a finish to their teak furniture, which is fine. For this, you have several good options. Remember, if you want you can allow the teak furniture to weather naturally. To do this, you literally do nothing. Simply leave the teak furniture outside in the elements, allowing the environment to weather on its own. With this, you will still need to wash the teak furniture with soap and water, about once a year.

Another option for your teak furniture is to use a wood oil sealer. Again, teak naturally contains oil but with a sealer, this oil will maintain in the wood grain so it lasts longer. One very important note - only use oil sealer on indoor teak furniture and never on outdoor teak furniture in that the extra oil will cause the wood to turn black from mildew. Now, if your teak furniture has been painted, you can protect it with a stain preservative. In this case, you want stain that is semi-transparent and with a UV inhibitor. Keep in mind that teak furniture manufacturers strongly discourage people from painting teak simply because it ruins the natural color and beauty while blistering and peeling over time from the oil. With a few easy steps, you can care for your teak furniture and have the confidence that it will provide you with years of beauty and enjoyment.

Jennifer Akre is a successful business owner of numerous furniture websites such as http://www.MoreThanTeak.com . Her sites offer product and information about teak furniture and other decor and furniture for your home or garden.