Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - refinishing teak wood
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charliet
08-10-05, 04:46 PM
just had a teak wood patio set given to us. it never had a finish on it and has a grey look to it from being out in the elements. i like the looks but would like a finish on it. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Boxarocks
08-10-05, 08:38 PM
research teak care & finishing before you change what is there now.
start here:
http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/woodcare/teakwoodcare.htm
one caveat:
traditional varnishes are often problematical on teak. This is why you seldom see "varnished" teak.
start here:
http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/woodcare/teakwoodcare.htm
one caveat:
traditional varnishes are often problematical on teak. This is why you seldom see "varnished" teak.
mako
08-11-05, 06:26 PM
Boxarocks is right about teak. It contains a lot of oil, which is interesting, there's only a few woods that have this (most all are tropical exotics). Teak is a very, very durable outdoor wood. It's used as a boat building wood in it's native areas and in America where some folks have more money than they have sense. It's 'spensive stuff.
The oil makes it hard to finish. Laquer, when sprayed on it, hikes up it's skirt and head for the hills. Wipe on and brush on stuff just won't give a long-lasting bond without cleaning with naptha first.
You can buy a bottle of teak oil and wipe it on if you have company coming over you want to wow, but you'll need to reapply it every month or six.
Your best bet is to do the following, but I'd only try it on one piece to see how it will work on this weathered stuff. BTW, old teak stuff is awesome. Consider yourself lucky!
You need two products:
1) Naptha. Use this to wipe very, very, very clean the entire surface of the teak. This will remove the oil from the surface.
2) Marine Spar Varnish. An outdoor grade varnish that doesn't dry as shell-hard as polyurethane b/c wood expands and contracts much more in outdoor environs. One or two coats should do it. Takes a while to dry.
The oil makes it hard to finish. Laquer, when sprayed on it, hikes up it's skirt and head for the hills. Wipe on and brush on stuff just won't give a long-lasting bond without cleaning with naptha first.
You can buy a bottle of teak oil and wipe it on if you have company coming over you want to wow, but you'll need to reapply it every month or six.
Your best bet is to do the following, but I'd only try it on one piece to see how it will work on this weathered stuff. BTW, old teak stuff is awesome. Consider yourself lucky!
You need two products:
1) Naptha. Use this to wipe very, very, very clean the entire surface of the teak. This will remove the oil from the surface.
2) Marine Spar Varnish. An outdoor grade varnish that doesn't dry as shell-hard as polyurethane b/c wood expands and contracts much more in outdoor environs. One or two coats should do it. Takes a while to dry.