Investing in teak garden furniture for your outdoor area is something that will bring many years of comfort, relaxation and happiness. Having that comfortable teak garden chair, teak park bench or teak patio set to use and enjoy through those long summer months can be very rewarding.
Teak is a natural product so when you first receive your teak garden furniture you may see variations in colour. This is completely normal. After a few weeks exposed to the elements the teak will blend and become more consistent as the patina process begins. Something that you may see from time to time is the appearance of small cracks and splits in your teak garden furniture. This usually develops in the ends of any sections of wood. This is known as end grain checking and again is a completely normal, natural process that your teak garden furniture goes through during changes in weather conditions and temperatures.
As we know, teak is naturally high in oil content which makes it the number one choice for outdoor furniture. As your teak garden furniture is left outside in the elements, these natural properties will start to diminish eventually causing the teak to weather into a silvery-grey colour. If you decide to leave your teak garden chair or teak Lutyens bench untreated then this natural patina will occur. The silvery grey tones of naturally weathered teak garden furniture is desirable to some, whilst others prefer the rich new teak tones. Don’t be alarmed, this weathering process is totally natural and will not effect the strength or integrity of your teak garden furniture.
If possible, when you decide to stop using your teak outdoor furniture for the year, it is always best to store your teak table and chair set somewhere dry under cover. We understand that not everybody has the ability to do this, so lets take a quick look at what else you could do to help give your teak garden furniture a bit of added protection.
There are many teak products out there that you can use to add some protection to your teak, from cleaners, oil, sealers and patinisers. Each of these products will have varying levels of protection depending on your personal choice. Some of our customers like the fact that their teak garden furniture will naturally turn to a silver/grey colour, so a patiniser would suit them. If you wish to keep that more golden colour then an oil or sealer would be best applied.
It is always highly recommended to ensure your teak patio furniture is fully cleaned and dried before you apply any teak care products and you should always follow manufacturer instructions. By using a teak oil this will help to replace some of the natural oils that may have been lost during the weathering process. A step up from oil can be from the use of a sealer or protector which will give longer lasting results whilst maintaining a golden teak colour.
It is very easy to say you must do this, you must apply that, you must store your furniture indoors during the winter, etc. etc., but to be perfectly honest looking after your teak can be very simple. How you look after your teak garden furniture is a very personal choice, and some choose to do nothing at all, instead preferring for their teak bench or teak garden chair to naturally weather.
If you have any questions or queries about teak garden furniture then please drop us an email to hello@ottena.co.uk and we will endeavour to answer your questions.
