Teak Sealing: Don’t Use Teak Oil

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Teak already has oil in it.  In fact teak naturally has one of the highest oil contents of any wood around.  Applying oil to a wood that already has an unusually high oil content operates under a dubious theory.  A little is good, so a bit more is even better, right?  Wrong.  You might as well buy into the idea of “Instant Discoloration.”  Trusting a label from teak sealer with teak oil in it requires a lot of trust on your part.

You have to trust that whoever made the teak sealer really cares about your teak, and are not just out to make a buck.  You also have to believe that their guarantee doesn’t have loopholes big enough to drive trucks through. You also have to know what their special formula may contain that they’re not telling you.  It may contain a solvent or other chemical that could conceivably damage your teak.

Teak Sealer: Water Based is Best

Water-based teak sealer is best, but even that is not a guarantee that it will do the job.  A lot of time with store bought products is that they may be 100% safe for your teak, however, they may also only be 10% effective.  Which means that you may find yourself applying teak sealer to refresh the coat on your deck or furniture almost constantly.   A lot of times, there are very few standards in place to protect consumers.

‘All natural,’ ‘organic,’ and ‘bio-degradable’ ‘are all buzzwords and labels that you may see slapped on the side of a bottle of teak sealer, yet they don’t really tell you anything.  Arsenic for example is all natural, cobra venom is organic, and bio degradable just means that it rots well.  It doesn’t tell you what it will or won’t do for your teak.

Getting the right products depends on a bit of research.  If  you want to seal your teak in Orange County, you may wish to call in a professional that has already done the research for you.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Teak Sealing in Orange County:  Should You or Shouldn’t You?

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Teak sealing, if done correctly and with the right products, can help to protect your teak from weathering; however, you have to know when and where to apply it.  You also have to know what you should and shouldn’t use.   Why do you need so much information?

Well, for one thing, applying teak sealer to a boat deck where slip resistance is important could be potentially dangerous.  One of the reasons teak is heavily used for boat deck is that it has a high oil content and as such makes for safer footing.   Too much sealer or the wrong type can detract from that feature.

Teak Sealing: What To Avoid

Store bought teak sealer is often of dubious quality.  Too many times, its main ingredient is teak oil or some other type of oil base.

Even water-based teak sealer may have ingredients that could be harmful both to your health and your teak.  A lot of store bought products contain xylene, which is also one of the ingredients of paint thinner.  Xylene can damage your lungs, and vital organs, and can also cause damage to your teak.  Think about it.  Xylene is also used in paint thinner and nail polish remover, and it is is a solvent.

So what type of teak sealer do you use?  You want professional grade teak sealer that is water based.  It is hard to find, however.

You also have to know how to safely apply it and use it.  When in doubt, don’t try this at home, or you may have to be taken to a poison control center if you accidentally inhale it or get it on  your skin.  Your best bet is to contact a company to apply the teak sealer for you.

Professional teak sealing can often give you a choice of finishes and shades to make your teak look its best.  You can apply a satin, flat, or gloss finish.

So, know what to do and what not to do.  Or call someone who does know all of this: a professional teak sealing company in Orange County.

If you need to seal your teak, call Teak & Deck Professionals.  We have the experience, and all the knowledge to give your teak a new look.  Call us today.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Reactive Concrete Staining

Reactive concrete staining relies on a chemical reaction when the acid and metallic salts are applied to the concrete.

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An important thing to know is that if you use reactive stain, your color choice is permanent.  However, one of the other things is that if you pick the right color, you won’t want to remodel it later anyway.  Reactive color stains create a lovely variegated effect.

One of the other disadvantages to reactive color stain is that it is limited to roughly eight colors, some of which can be used both externally and internally, while others are for interior use only.  With acid-based stains, it’s normal to have huge differences in color.  Any surfaces that you put it on, will appear mottled, and the effect is more pronounced when you apply sealer to them.  With some acid stain colors,  it isn’t always ‘what you see is what you get.’  The color on the bottle may appear vastly different than the end result.  You may not even get the  true color for several hours. As it is permanent, don’t put the coat down on the whole surface.  Test it first on a small test area first.

Non-Reactive Concrete Staining

Nonreactive concrete stains have a larger color palette than acid stains and are easier to apply. They can also be changed later on if you wish to, however, they also do not produce the same variegated color effects that reactive stains provide, and the colors are opaque, not translucent.

Another thing to know is that no two floors will look the same, as there can be variations in the concrete depending on its age or any chemical residue.  However, because of this variance in color, you can have a stunning array of floor effects.

So before you go for it, call in a professional to consult with: someone who does concrete staining in La Jolla.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Concrete Staining 101

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What is concrete staining? There are generally two types of concrete stains out there – reactive and nonreactive. Reactive stains are water-based acidic solutions containing metallic salts.  Because of a chemical reaction with the lime that is present in concrete, it changes the color of the concrete.  Reactive stains are only for people who want a permanent look to their floor, because once the chemical reaction happens, the stain forms a permanent bond with the concrete and won’t come off.

Non-reactive concrete stains are water-based acrylic stain. Instead of a chemical reaction, they penetrate the concrete ‘s porous surface leaving the color in the pores. Because of their larger selection of colors, and because of how easy and safe they are to apply, nonreactive stains have gotten more popular in recent years.

However, it is important to know that while their color choices are more expansive, acrylic concrete stains don’t produce the same translucent color effects that acid stains do.

Important Caveats to Know with Concrete Staining

Whether you select acid based concrete stains or acrylic, each have important information to know.  First off, with acid-based stains, it is normal to have very different color variations, and these variations will be emphasized when the final coat of sealer is applied. Also the color in the tube is not necessarily what you will end up with. It’s a good idea to apply a small amount of the stain to a test area before you spread it all over the surface.

If you’re using acrylic based concrete stain, the color will be uniform all over, not variegated.  Newer concrete will have more intense color than older concrete.

Concrete staining is popular, and rightly so.  It gives your floor a new look and a lot of character.  Like all changes in life, be sure you know what you’re getting into.

So do your homework, figure out whether you want acrylic or acid-based, and the call in a professional concrete staining company.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Professional Teak Cleaning in Orange County and Restaurants

What sort of businesses could use teak cleaning in Orange County? Outdoor establishments are the first type. Let’s say you have a marina restaurant with a gorgeous teak deck and matching furniture. As a business, you have a lot more traffic than a home with a patio would. Think about it. Here’s a math problem for you.

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Let’s say you are open seven days a week. You have an average of twenty customers per day, during Monday through Thursday. In a month of 30 days, that alone would be 320 customers over a month. Now, let’s add in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Unless the food’s terrible, most restaurants see way more foot traffic on weekends than they do on weekdays. Let’s give a conservative estimate of 60 customers on Friday, 80 on Saturday and 40 on Sunday. That is an additional 720 customers per month, for a grand total of over a thousand people in and out your restaurant door, or more to the point, on the deck and furniture. That alone is enough to get a teak care company on the phone as soon as you can. However, there is an even more pronounced problem with that kind of use.

Teak Cleaning and Removing Stains

If everyone in the world was neat, there would be no need for teak cleaning. However, that’s not the world we live in. It all adds up. A wine spill here, a dish of spilled pasta there. Bit by bit, what was once a rich caramel deck and furniture starts to show its age quickly. If you call in a service, they can get the damage out fairly quickly, and even seal your teak to prevent future stains.

So as you see, it isn’t just your home that can benefit from this sort of cleaning. A business can benefit from a teak cleaning service in Orange County as well.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Orange County and Teak Maintenance

Teak Cleaning in Orange County | (866) 618-4551

Teak furniture fits into two categories:  indoor teak, and outdoor teak.  As a rule, indoor teak is already varnished and sealed, so it usually requires nominal cleaning every now and then.  Usually, dusting will suffice.  Outdoor furniture requires a bit more teak maintenance.  We’ve covered the Santa Ana winds and the marine layer, but there is another ever present part of living where we do that can require you to do teak cleaning in Orange County:  smog.

Smog is such a part of life in the L.A. area that most people wouldn’t be able to perceive the Los Angeles skyline without it.  However, it also leaves a grimy residue on every surface that you have to clean off every now and then. If you go about teak cleaning you can remove this residue.  Cleaning outdoor furniture can be easy if you keep your furniture covered, and usually you won’t need to do much more than a light wipe down with some soapy water.

When to Call in a Teak Cleaning Service in Orange County

At what point do you realize you can’t clean your teak furniture on your own?  Simple.  If you have cleaned it as well as you can, and you can’t clean it any further without damaging your teak, and believe us you will know when that is.  Then you need to call in a professional. The same holds true for a teak deck.

Teak deck restoration is a bit more tricky than simple cleaning.  Usually to do a proper job of it, you have to follow several steps including sanding, stripping and cleaning.  To protect it further, you want to apply sealant to it.

If you follow the right procedures, your teak will last a long time.  So know what you may and may not do safely with your teak, and know your own limits.  For the rest, call in a professional teak refinishing service in Orange County, California.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Teak Care: What to Use

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If you look up teak care, you’ll find a lot of contradictory advice out there. Use oil. Don’t use oil. Lemon juice is good for teak. Lemon juice is bad for teak, to name just a few. First off, let’s cover what is safe to use on your teak, and then we’ll cover what you should avoid.

Safe Items for Teak Care:  neutral pH cleanser such as dish washing soap, tap water, soft bristled brushes, high pressure hose, light sanding.  Dish washing soap is completely non-reactive, which means that you don’t have to worry about any unwanted chemical side effects.  Soft bristled brushes can be used effectively, as long as you either stroke diagonally across the grain of the wood, or with.  High pressure hoses can be used, as long as they are aimed obliquely.  Teak has both soft patches and hard patches.  You don’t want to damage the wood by aiming high pressure water at it.  Use a medium or fine grain sand paper if you want to sand your deck.

Teak Care: What NOT to Use

Unsafe Items for Teak Care: lemon juice, vinegar, anything acid-based, strong solvents, or oil.  Lemon juice, like any citrus is highly acidic. The same holds true for vinegar.  If you use any acid-based cleaner on the softer portions of your wood, you run the risk of scoring it and damaging it beyond repair.  Strong solvents will cause the oil naturally present in teak to dissipate, leaving your teak brittle and prone to drying.  On the other side, since teak is naturally oily, adding oil would also be a bad idea, as if there is no place for the oil to go, it will leave a stain behind.

All of the unsafe items above are listed by a lot of so-called experts out there as being good for your teak.  That is usually where we get called in and have to do a major teak refinishing job.

If you’re in need of teak refinishing in Orange County, call in an industry expert:  Teak & Deck Professionals.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551
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Why Anything Citrus-Based Should NOT Be Used in Teak Care

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Myth:  There’s nothing like orange oil to bring out the natural shine in wood.  It can both clean your teak and make it shine.

Fact:  A teak cleaning service like ours knows this is incorrect for so many reasons.  First off, orange oil does make a difference on some wood, however teak is not something you want to put orange oil on.  Orange oil works on woods such as walnut, mahogany, cedar, or maple.  All of these woods are designed to be indoors, so require different care than teak does which is an outdoor wood.  As to why you don’t want to put orange oil on teak, teak has a naturally high oil content already, so applying orange oil almost guarantees that you will discolor your teak.  In addition, there is a trace amount of citric acid present in orange oil which will damage your teak.

Myth:  Lemon juice is a wonderful way to clean everything in your own, from your teak furniture to your counter tops.

Fact:  While lemon juice can be effective as a cleaning agent in some areas of your home, it should never be used for teak cleaning.  Why?  Well in addition to being citric acid, it also has a tendency to stain and discolor your teak, making teak cleaning much more difficult later on.

Teak Cleaning: No Oil, Please

Myth:  Mineral oil works wonders with teak cleaning

Fact:  Depends on what you term as a wonder.  If you term discoloration, ruining your teak, or unsightly stains as wonders, then this is correct.  Otherwise, like any other oil, it should never come near your wood, or be used to clean your teak at any time.

As you see, sometimes people will unknowingly give you some bad info.  Make sure you know proper teak care procedures.

For the best in teak cleaning and care, call Teak & Deck Professionals today.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(866) 618-4551
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Teak Cleaning Myths:  Know the Truth

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Myth:  If you clean your teak with bleach, you can guarantee that you will get a good cleaning job done.  Bleach is very versatile.
Fact:  Bleach is highly acidic, and can potentially damage your teak so that even a teak refinishing service in Orange Countycan’t restore it.  Like all wood, unsealed teak is very porous.  And if you pour too much bleach on the wood, you will literally cause your deck and/or furniture to be bone white.  Not to mention that bleach has a very strong chemical smell.  Ever smell a swimming pool?  It will take a while for that smell to come out of your teak in addition to the damage you may cause.  It can also cause damage in another scenario.

Let’s say you call in a service for teak sealing.  Since bleach is acidic, you can also strip the sealing right off the wood, leaving it vulnerable to further damage.  So to make a long passage short: do NOT use bleach.  However bleach is only one of the potential do it yourself remedies that can cause problems.

Teak Cleaning: Don’t Use Vinegar Either

Myth:  Vinegar is 100% safe to use on your teak as a cleaning agent particularly when mixed with water.  And it is all natural.
Fact:  Okay, first off, understand that there is more than one type of vinegar out there.  There are dozens in fact including:
white, malt, red wine, apple cider, black fig, wine vinegar, balsamic, and rice.  This bit of conventional wisdom usually doesn’t specify which type of vinegar to use for teak cleaning.  If you use anything other than white vinegar, particularly on unsealed wood, you have a good chance of discoloring your teak. In addition, you’re going to be smelling salad dressing every time it rains.  Also all natural is a bit of a cop out.  After all arsenic is all natural as is sulfur dioxide, and neither of them are considered beneficial.

Know your stuff when you are doing any sort of work on your deck or furniture.  Better yet, know when you should call in professional help, particularly a professional teak cleaning service.

If you need teak cleaning, call in a professional, the crew at Teak and Deck Professionals.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
http://www.teakanddeck.com

Teak Care in a Coastal Desert

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While Orange County is blessed by nearly perfect weather year round, it does have inclement weather that can cause damage to your teak.  The marine layer that comes in every night in Southern California is part of it.  Unlike fog, a marine layer forms on its own.  However, it also brings moisture, which can cause fungus to grow on your deck surface, particularly if you have not done teak sealing in a while.  However, the marine layer is just part of the weather issues that may affect your teak furniture or decking.  There are also the Santa Ana winds.

The Santa Ana winds are extremely dry and very strong offshore winds that hit coastal Southern California in fall and winter. They range from cold to hot, and come from the deserts. In fact the hotter winds used to be called devil winds. Why they matter to teak is that they can easily dry out your teak decking or worse damage your teak especially if they are strong enough. And considering that Santa Ana winds can hit 65-70 mph easily, the possibilities for damage are very real. Fine grit can scratch the surface of your teak and require you to get teak refinishing done on it to repair it.

Teak Maintenance Services in Orange County

Any deck service in Orange County knows about the unique weather of Southern California, and knows also how to protect and maintain your teak from getting damage and even reverse any damage that may already be there.  It is all in how to take care of what is truly a remarkable wood.

So if you live in Orange County, or anywhere in Southern California, know about the weather.  Cover up your teak when the marine layer comes in, and put your furniture safely away when the Santa Ana winds come barreling in, and most of all, get a teak maintenance company in Orange County to come in and take care of your furniture and decking.

Teak & Deck Professionals
5355 Avenida Encinas #111
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(800) 517-9362
(866) 618-4551