Teak furniture offers unmatched durability; the strength of the wood and its beauty, even when weathered, makes it an ideal material for outdoor furniture. Teak requires little to no care, and maintains its incredible strength and timeless elegance for decades. The amount of hands-on maintenance required depends entirely on the look you want. Below we provide guidelines for caring for your teak, in addition to some helpful information on how to ensure that you're purchasing environmentally conscious, plantation-grown teak.

The Weathering Process

New teak is a bright, golden color. Your furniture will appear polished when first assembled; this appearance comes from oil occurring naturally in the wood. The surface oil will evaporate after a few days outdoors, while the oil that remains below the surface will endure, enabling the wood's unmatched durability.

The furniture, when left outdoors, will turn a handsome silver-gray. Weathering will take approximately nine months, depending on the amount of sunlight and rain exposure. Before the wood is completely weathered a slight "checking" or lifting of the grain may occur on the top edges of the arms and legs. You may even notice a few small cracks. This is perfectly natural, as wood expands and contracts slightly when left out doors. The grain will return to its original smooth finish after the initial weathering process and has no affect on the stability of the furniture in any way.

To aid the wood as it weathers, simply clean the furniture with a soft bristle brush or sponge. If water spots or other discoloration occurs during the weathering process, don't worry; these marks will even out, and the furniture will eventually become a uniform silver-gray.

Cleaning

The only maintenance necessary for your furniture is periodic cleaning. This should be done with a solution of four parts laundry detergent or dishwashing soap and one part bleach. Use a soft bristle brush to clean your furniture. When you are finished, rinse the entire piece to remove the dirt and any remaining solution. This method is sufficient for general cleaning.

For deeper cleaning, and removal of stains from grease or red wine, we recommend the use of a teak cleaner. Teak cleaner will remove the silver-gray patina and restore the furniture's original golden tone.

Teak Cleaner and Sealer

After a few months, teak will begin to weather. Weathering doesn't affect the furniture's lifespan, only its appearance. If the look of weathered teak is too rustic for your taste, we offer teak sealer. This product will maintain the original color of the teak for approximately one year and can be reapplied as needed (usually once a year).

If the furniture has weathered and you wish to restore it to the original color, we recommend using our teak cleaner. The cleaner will restore the furniture to the natural golden color regardless of how long the piece has been outside. Teak cleaner requires no heavy scrubbing or polishing and takes approximately thirty minutes to apply to a chair. It can be used as often as you wish. We do not advise using oil on outdoor teak furniture because of the maintenance involved and the tendency of oiled outdoor teak to mildew, or the color to become irregular.

Indoor Use

Should you choose to use your furniture indoors, we suggest that you do apply teak or linseed oil, or wax the furniture using Briwax or Johnson's Wax.

The Teak Tree

Teak (Tectona) is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the family Verbenaceae, native to the south and southeast countries of Asia. They are large trees, growing to 30-40 meters tall.

There are three species of teak:

• Tectona grandis (Common Teak) is by far the most important, with a wide distribution in India and Indo-China.
• Tectona hamiltoniana (Dahat Teak) is a local endemic species confined to Myanmar, where it is endangered.
• Tectona philippinensis (Philippine Teak) is endemic to the Philippines, and is also endangered.

Environmentally Safe Teak 

We sell only environmentally farmed plantation teak from Java (Tectona grandis). Javanese teak harvesting and replanting is strictly enforced by their government. Our teak is selected from 30-40 year sustainable growth rotations on certified Javanese teak plantations that grow their trees specifically for furniture manufacturing purposes -- never from the endangered old-growth teak forests.

Java has a vested interest in the sustainable agriculture of their teak. In addition to the environmental damage wrought by deforestation, the clear-cutting of teak would also cause future damage to the region's economy; teak wood agriculture and teak furniture manufacturing are an important part of the Indonesian culture and GDP.

In addition to the enivornmental and economic risks of non-sustainable farming, the loss of teak trees would also increase flooding risks. The large root systems of teak plantations and forests help prevent erosion and decrease the damages caused by frequent flooding.