APPLYING TEAK OIL TO YOUR NEW GARDEN FURNITURE

With teak being such a fantastic timber to manufacture outdoor garden furniture from (not that we are biased at all!) helping to protect it further is something that can be done easily with minimal effort and cost. Taking a bit of time and care can certainly pay dividends in the long run and give your new teak furniture a beautiful deep and rich look, whilst also adding some extra protection.

As we know, teak is naturally high in its own oil content which not only gives it fantastic inbuilt protection but also stops any unwanted pests or insects from attacking the wood. Oiling your new teak garden furniture is not for everyone. There is certainly no hard and fast rule to say you must do this or don’t do that, as some customers will like their teak to weather and fade to that gorgeous silvery/grey patina when exposed to sunlight. As we have found with our customers over the past ten years, not everyone wants to maintain that golden colour of teak. It is safe to say that this decision is completely up to you.

Recently we have had a customer order a memorial bench for their local church, in memory of their parents. Our customer asked if we were able to add any more protection to their chosen bench as it would be placed in the churchyard and exposed to the elements and lots of visiting people. We of course duly obliged and offered to oil their chosen bench, whilst also installing the engraved plaque of their choice.

Applying teak oil to our teak furniture is a very simple process. As the memorial bench was in its flat packed form, it was slightly easier as we could lay out all of the relevant sections and oil them individually. To oil the garden furniture, we used some small foam applicators which always work very well and spread the oil easily with minimal effort. These small applicators can be obtained from any DIY store for just a few pounds.

To begin with we ensured the surface of the teak memorial bench was clean and dry, using a damp microfibre cloth to wipe the teak down and then leaving it to dry naturally. Ensuring we followed all manufacturer guidelines and adhered to safety measures, such as being in a well-ventilated area, wearing gloves and a face mask, we gave the teak remembrance bench two coats of teak oil. Be sure to leave 24 hours between each coat, as per the oil manufacturer guidelines. The oil spreads easily on to the surface of the teak bench and is absorbed nicely into the surface. The commemorative seat chosen by our customer was one of our 5ft Lutyens benches. In  order to apply two coats of teak oil to this teak Lutyens bench, we used one single bottle of 500ml teak oil. Hopefully that will give you a guide with regards to how much you will need for your teak garden furniture.

After allowing the bench to dry for another 24 hours after the second coat, our customer had also requested for us to assemble the memorial bench ready to be loaded onto and a pallet for delivery. Before we did this, we took the opportunity to take some photos. We are sure you will agree that the Lutyens memorial bench looks simply beautiful. With the application of the teak oil, it should help to add some more protection to this stunning bench. The eagle eyed among you will also spot the oval brass plaque attached to the top rail of the bench, just another small touch that can give your teak commemorative bench that extra special personal touch.

Going forward we are hoping to offer the application of teak oil as a service to all of our customers, saving you the time and hassle of doing this yourself. If this is something you would like to know more about then please contact us at hello@ottena.co.uk and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for reading!