Essential Teakwood Care Tips: Maintaining Your Commercial Teakwood Furniture
Find expert tips for maintaining your commercial teakwood furniture. Here is how to protect and preserve your teak tables, chairs, and outdoor furniture in Dubai & UAE. Ensure long-lasting durability and a luxurious finish with proper care.
What is Teakwood, and Why is it So Popular with Furniture Manufacturers:
Teakwood is considered the “king of woods”, sourced from the Tectona grandis tree, native to south and southeast Asia. Teakwood in its raw form is golden in color, with a smooth grain, dense texture and excellent durability. It is nearly impervious to extreme weather conditions and rotting, even if left untreated. This is due to the high concentration of natural oils and rubber naturally found in teakwood.
Premium teakwood is highly sought after by furniture fabricators for below key reasons:
- Durability: It is arguably the top reason for choosing teakwood for both indoor and outdoor furniture. Teakwood has exceptional durability and resistant to wear and tear for years if well-maintained.
- Visually Appealing: The fine, straight golden grain of teakwood gives it’s a luxurious look and feel. Over time, it even develops a silvery patina if left untreated, adding to its charm.
- Stability: Teakwood Furniture is less prone to shrinkage, and expansion compared to other types of wood. This ensures that any furniture made from teak will maintain its structural integrity and shape over time.
- Workability: Teakwood is comparatively easy to work with, it can be carved, sanded, and polished to achieve a smooth and refined look. This versatility makes it a popular choice for various furniture types, including coffee tables, dinning sets , custom chairs and many more.
- Natural Oils: The wood contains natural oils and rubber that help protect it from moisture, decay, and pests. This resistance to water makes teak particularly suitable for outdoor furniture like sunbeds & daybeds, as it does not warp or crack easily.
How to make the most of your outdoor Teakwood furniture for Longevity:
- Regular cleaning – Any furniture outdoor it is expected to have some spill or stains , along with some seasonal debris .It is a good idea to give your commercial teakwood furniture a good scrubbing at the end of every season , or whenever it looks dirty . You can use a soft-bristle brush and soapy water to remove normal stains. For mildew or tougher stains, mix bleach and soapy water in a 1:2 ratio, please rinse well after. Avoid using a pressure washer and/or steel wool, as they can affect the wood’s natural oils making it more prone to the elements. And remember, always rub in the direction of the grain.
- Preventive Care: Though teakwood is really durable, some pieces lasting for 50-70 years with the right care. It is essential to take preventive measures, especially for commercially used furniture where the aesthetics of the furniture play a very crucial role in your offering towards your guests. Consider placing your teak pieces shaded areas or in an area that doesn’t receive direct sunlight. You can also apply a teak oil, or color guard, to protect against UV rays and slow down the aging process. An agent called a Teak protector can be reapplied once or twice a year to provide continuous protection and maintain its lovely golden-brown color.
- Silver-Grey Patina : If your commercial teak furniture has developed a greyish layer, this is teakwood’s natural defence against the elements. You can easily restore the color by refinishing the teak or using a specialised teak cleaner. Exterio recently helped a coffeehouse client re-stain they teak coffee table and restore them to their original color.
Additional Maintenance Tips
- Avoid moving furniture between extreme temperatures, such as from a heated indoor environment to say a snow-covered outdoor one, as the natural expansion/contraction of the wood may cause cracks in the timber or joints
- Refrain using power sanders or power cleaning tools on your furniture, as they can damage the wood
- Avoid exposing the furniture to extreme temperatures or humidity, such as placing a hot stove in a teak table or leaving plants in one sport for too long, as they may leave behind mars
- Store cushions away when not in use to ensure the foam lasts longer & prevent fading.
- Regularly check stainless steel or brass joint for wear , as they are exposed to constant movement from daily use.
At Exterio, we recognize the exceptional nature of teakwood, and we almost exclusively work with teakwood for our wooden furniture. It gives the best value for money, longevity, and a luxurious finish even in its raw form!
If you have any queries on how to maintain your teakwood tables and chairs, you can send a picture to Exterio, and we will give a free consultation on how to go about maintenance, and we can do a site inspection to see if something stronger is needed for the result you are looking for your commercial teak dining sets.