Gray or gold? How do you like your teak furniture? From our 25 years of experience in the outdoor furniture industry we have learned that it’s a 50/50 split between those people who prefer their teak furniture develop its classic silver-gray patina and those who want it to stay its original golden color. But what is this patina? And for those so inclined, how can they prevent or remove it?

One of the characteristics that makes teak virtually impervious to the elements is its high oil content. Over time the teak oil rises to the surface and is exposed to natural sunlight. The sun’s ultra violet rays then oxidize the oil over a period of 12 to 18 months and turn it gray. Thus the patina you see on aged teak furniture is simply oxidized teak oil on the surface of the wood.

As I said earlier, many of customers enjoy the distinguished, timeless look that the patina gives teak furniture. However, if you are among those who like teak’s natural hue, how can you maintain the golden color? There are a few ways, but it usually comes down to two words - elbow grease. Whether it’s annually restoring the teak furniture to its original color or simply trying to maintain it, you (or your staff) likely will have to put in some work.

Washing and Sanding: Remember, the patina is simply oxidized teak oil on the wood’s surface, not the teak itself turning gray. So the patina will come off. Once the outdoor furniture turns or begins to turn silver-gray, you can wash it with water from a garden hose and then sand the furniture lightly. Sounds simple. However, this process can take many hours as sanding is a laborious process, and you need to make sure to get into every nook and cranny so that the teak furniture takes on an even tone.

Power Washing: A faster way to remove the patina is simply to power wash your furniture with water. Although I know of customers who do power wash their teak furniture, I do not recommend it. Over time the high-pressure spray strips the teak of its natural oils and makes the wood less durable.

Preservatives: There are many products on the market that are purported to preserve the golden color of teak once applied. However, I have not been impressed with the results. Most of these chemicals discolor the outdoor furniture and do not last very long. The ones that seem to work the best, although not perfect, still do not last more than three to six months. Thus you will need to put a fresh coat of preservative on the teak several times a year, not to speak of the initial application (three to six coats) that needs to be put on the furniture once you first receive it.

Covered Areas: Since the sun’s rays are what oxidize the teak’s oil and create the patina, you can keep the furniture either indoors (many of our customers are actually furnishing the inside of their homes with our outdoor furniture now) or under a covered porch, patio, or terrace. By shielding the teak from direct sunlight you will be able to maintain the teak furniture’s golden tone for years if not indefinitely.

Now for the answer to last week’s brain teaser:

The man who invented it doesn’t want it. The man who bought it doesn’t need it. The man who needs it doesn’t know it. What is it?

A coffin.

Do not put teak oil on your teak furniture.

Most people put teak oil on their teak patio furniture because they want to preserve the golden color and prevent the teak from developing its gray patina. Not only will the oil darken the color by a few shades, but it will also, if not constantly maintained, attract mold and mildew. Teak oil turns your teak furniture from an easy-to-care-for piece of outdoor furniture to a high maintenance hassle.

* I should mention that if you have your own yachting crew or a house maintenance staff that can reapply the teak oil every season and keep a watchful eye over it, then you can ignore this advice.

Spring is upon us!

Personally, I can’t get enough snow. I love the way it looks, I love the way it smells, I love the clean, crisp air it brings. Nothing puts me in a finer mood than 12 inches of snow on the ground and more falling from the clouds.

Professionally, I hate the stuff. I’m doing back flips that the warm weather of Spring is here. Since we’re in the teak furniture business, and most of our customers use our furniture outdoors, snow is our professional nemesis. It reduces the amount of furniture we sell and prevents you from cooking, dining, swimming, lounging, gardening, sleeping, and just plain living outside. So I’ll say a quick thank you to Mother Nature for this timely change of seasons, and move right into what you should be doing right about now to prepare your teak patio furniture for your seasonal migration outdoors.

You will still want to clean your teak furniture once a year simply to remove such things a sap, bird residue, pollen, and other natural remnants. Well, fortunately teak is a very low maintenance material that is easy to clean. Simply spray Olympic Deck Wash onto your teak furniture with a garden sprayer, wait five minutes, and then spray it off with a garden hose. Done. Your outdoor furniture will now take on an ivory finish that will weather back to the silver-gray patina in a few months. (For more difficult stains I suggest trying water, Murphy’s Oil Soap, and a soft bristle brush.)

If you use furniture covers, clean them off with soap and water (spraying them down with an everyday garden hose will work just fine). If you put away your covers for the next nine months without having washed them, you may get some unpleasant mildew growth when you pull them back out of the garage next winter.

It bears mentioning that while furniture covers work well in keeping outdoor residue at bay, teak furniture does not need to be protected from such elements as rain, sleet, snow, or heat & humidity. Teak is an incredibly dense-grained wood with a high oil content that helps it repel the weather without any finish or need to cover it or bring it inside for the winter. Just leave your furniture outdoors, and in about a year it will develop silvery gray patina that provides the distinguished, well-known look of finely aged teak. But the truly remarkable characteristics of teak are a subject for another day. I push on.

If you have any of our all-weather cushions or throw pillows, you have several options available to you. If they were under furniture covers then there is nothing to do except sit down. If you left them outdoors with your teak furniture (like I do) then you should give them a good cleaning to remove any dirt that has built up. To clean the fabric, first brush off loose particulate, and then clean briskly with a rag using water and a mild natural soap. Water temperature should be no more than 100° F, as acrylic fiber is sensitive to temperatures at that level. To remove stains that this washing process does not address, use a fabric spot remover. If you have any Arthur Lauer cushions or throw pillows, you can also contact our customer service department for additional recommended cleaning solutions.

However, if you don’t want to leave your cushions and pillows outdoors at all, shelter them in a dry enclosed area or use one of our teak Jefferson Storage Chests, which should keep them relatively dry throughout the seasons.

Lastly, enjoy. You’re done. That’s it. Finito. As I’ve said ad nauseum (at least that’s what my wife tells me), teak furniture is incredibly low maintenance. Especially when you consider the fact that not only is it easy to clean, but you never need to drag it indoors, and it will literally last for decades.

Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll see everyone again on Friday. Oh yes, the answer to last week’s riddle.

Riddle: A boy was born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents who were each born in Boston, Massachusetts. Neither the boy nor his parents have ever left the state, but the boy is not a U.S. citizen. How is this possible?

Answer: The boy was born in 1770 before the Declaration of Independence. Thus there was not yet a United States to be a citizen of.