Teak care: let it weather grey or oil it?
The Wood Guide · Care & finishing
Care by wood species · teakCaring for teak
Teak is the lowest-maintenance wood there is. The only real question is one of taste: do you let it turn silver grey, or keep it golden brown?
- No treatment needed
- Grey or brown: your choice
- oil 1–2× a year for the colour
Teak protects itself
The wood is full of natural oils and rubbery substances that keep out water, fungi and insects. That is why teak reaches the highest durability class without any treatment.
A teak garden bench you leave alone for ten years is still standing after ten years. Only the colour changes: the golden brown turns silver grey within one or two seasons. In a damp garden that happens faster, in a dry, sunny garden more slowly.
With teak, maintenance is about appearance, not lifespan. If you like the patina, clean it now and then and do nothing else. If you want to keep the brown, oil it.
Other species are oiled to keep moisture out. Teak does that naturally, with its own oils deep in the fibre. Oil applied from outside mainly adds colour. More about the wood itself: what is teak wood.
- Durability
- class 1 · without treatment
- Let it weather grey
- clean 1–2× a year
- Keep it brown
- + oil 1–2× a year
- Oil
- hardwood brown · with a lint-free cloth
- Winter
- can stay outdoors
- Don't
- pressure washer · oiling in full sun
To be fair: if you want to keep teak brown, it takes you an hour every year. And teak under trees, like any wood, gets green algae that you have to brush off.
In pictures · Silver grey or golden brown
Schematic drawing.
Silver grey or golden brown
Do nothing, apart from cleaning once or twice a year. Only the top layer changes colour; the wood underneath stays just as strong. The result is the silver-grey patina you know from old park benches and ships' decks. The least work, and for many people the most beautiful.
Leave a new piece outdoors for a couple of days first, then oil it once or twice a year with a hardwood-brown oil. The golden brown stays, and the wood absorbs a little less dirt and moisture. More work, but the furniture keeps looking as it did on the day it was delivered.
Cleaning teak
- Lukewarm water and soft soapA bucket of lukewarm water with a little soft soap. No bleach or ammonia: they attack the fibre and can make the fittings rust.
- Soft brush, with the grainBrush along the length of the wood. For stubborn green algae, let the soapy water soak in for ten minutes.
- Rinse wellWith clean water, so that no soap residue is left behind.
- Let it dryA dry day. Only then oil it, if you want to.
Even on hard teak the jet roughens the surface: the soft parts between the growth rings are washed away. A rough surface then holds on to dirt and algae all the more quickly.
Oiling teak without blotches
- New furniture: two days outdoors firstLet the wood get used to the outdoor air before you start.
- Sand lightlyWith the abrasive side of a sponge or fine sandpaper, until the top feels smooth.
- Apply the oil with a lint-free clothNot with a brush: a cloth leaves fewer streaks and you waste less oil. We use Restol wood oil in hardwood brown.
- Wipe off after a quarter of an hourWipe away whatever has not soaked in. Otherwise a sticky layer is left behind.
- Dry wood, no full sunIn the sun the oil soaks in too quickly and you get blotches. A cloudy, dry day is ideal.
Between two oilings you can use a colourless teak protector every six months, so the wood absorbs less dirt and moisture. You'll find all colours of wood oil under Restol wood oil.
Making weathered teak brown again
It can be done, and the result looks like new. The grey layer is only a few tenths of a millimetre deep. Sand it away with fine sandpaper, in the direction of the grain, until you see the warm brown everywhere again. Remove the dust, then oil as described above.
Sanding a garden bench takes an afternoon. If you don't want to do that every year, it is better to oil from the start — or to choose grey deliberately.
Other hardwood
Much the same applies to acacia, mahogany and other hardwoods. Mahogany does need an extra coat of oil once it is in use. See keeping hardwood in top condition.
All wood species
Care by species and by season: caring for wooden garden furniture.
Teak or other hardwood?
The difference in durability, weight and price: teak versus hardwood.
Frequently asked questions about teak care
Do you need to treat teak?
No. Teak naturally contains protective oils and needs no treatment to last outdoors. You only oil it if you want to keep the warm golden-brown colour.
Is weathered grey teak bad?
No. Only the top layer changes colour; the wood underneath stays unchanged. Many people deliberately choose that silver-grey patina.
How often should you oil teak?
If you want to keep the brown colour, once or twice a year, on dry wood and not in full sun. If you let it turn grey, you never need to oil it.
Can weathered teak turn brown again?
Yes. Sand away the grey layer — it is only a few tenths of a millimetre deep — and then oil. It takes some work, but the result looks like new.
Can I clean teak with a pressure washer?
Better not. Lukewarm water, a soft brush and a little soft soap, in the direction of the grain, do the job just as well without roughening the surface.
Teak for a lifetime
Buy once, and then mostly enjoy.
A question about your teak furniture? Just ask.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Tectona grandis — DC, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tectona grandis — Immanuel Giel, Public domain · Tectona grandis — Joe Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0