Teak Furniture is a great option for any outdoor living environment but teak furniture maintenance is one aspect of teak ownership that should not be overlooked.  Teak is a beautiful hardwood that is sturdy and durable, not to mention beautiful, and is becoming more popular all the time for a prime source for outdoor furniture.   Teak is full of natural oils that helps to defend it from the infestation of insects and also helps it resist warping, shrinking or rotting because of exposure to water. When you purchase new teak furniture, it is a beautiful honey color. However, through the effects of age and exposure to the sun and weather, the color turns gray or silver over time if it is left untreated. This is where Teak Furniture Maintenance comes into play.

The Importance of Teak Furniture Maintenance

As the oil on the surface of the wood slowly evaporates the unprotected wood is exposed to the elements. However, if you have professional Teak Furniture Maintenance done on a regular basis, you can retain the beautiful honey color indefinitely. Cleaning the wood is the first step. Some experts recommend washing the wood with a mixture of water and mild detergent and using a soft bristle brush. Even if you decide you like the silvered color, you should clean your teak at least once each year because bacteria can remain on the surface of the wood if it is not properly cleaned. In addition, if you leave the grayed teak unprotected, it can actually degrade more quickly than if you refinish and maintain it.

Some people think that they can maintain the original color of their teak furniture by wiping it with teak oil. While this seems to work initially, the teak oil actually builds up over time and can darken the color of your teak. In addition, it tends to be sticky and actually attracts dirt and grime to your teak. After a few applications, you will need to strip the oil totally from the surface of your teak if you want it to look natural again. Professionals, such as the trained staff at Teak & Deck Professionals, will use special sealers that are designed to work well with teak so that this type of problem doesn’t happen.

If you work with a professional Teak Furniture Maintenance company, you may have them treat and seal your teak when your first get it or when you have it restored so that the maintenance is needed less frequently. Having professionals handle the maintenance of your furniture means that you can count on it looking nice without having to go to the trouble of completely restoring it every few years. Remember that opting for professional teak furniture maintenance is the best way to keep your teak furniture looking great and remaining durable for many years.

When you purchase quality outdoor teak furniture, you are getting wood that is beautiful and durable, but you should consider the steps in maintaining teak furniture as well. Teak has natural oils that helped it survive in the rainforest which help make it resistant to rot, insects, and weather. Because you might spend a little more money on teak than you would on redwood, oak, or cedar, you need to know how to approach maintaining teak furniture so that it will retain its beauty and last for many years.

Maintaining Teak Furniture Extends Its Life

One of the things you can do to prolong the life of your beautiful teak furniture it to keep it clean. One key to Maintaining Teak Furniture is to use a mild, non-toxic soap and a soft bristle brush. Using a power sprayer or washer to clean outdoor furniture is not a good idea because it can damage the wood. For a proper and safe approach to maintaining teak furniture, you may want to consult with a local company that does teak restoration or sealing for the best products and processes to use.

When teak furniture is new, it is usually a golden honey or amber color, and many people want it to stay that way. However, as teak ages and particularly as it is exposed to the elements, it turns a silvery gray color. This does not affect the strength or durability of the wood, and many people like the look of aged teak. However, if you want your teak  furniture to retain its golden touch, you will want to have a professional use the right kind of sealer when Maintaining Teak Furniture. There are many different kinds of sealers that use different bases, such as oils, and professionals know exactly what is right for each different type of teak wood. Having a professional use a sealer that is designed for teak is an excellent way to reduce your amount of time between maintaining your teak furniture.

By keeping the wood sealed and cleaning it on a regular basis, it will take longer for the wood to age. However, if your wood has already begun to go gray, you may want professional refinishing services to get it back to its original color before you have it sealed. This will often include sanding the furniture with fine grit sandpaper and may include adding teak oil to the wood for a period of time before it is sealed.

By understanding that you or a professional can use quality products to keep your teak furniture clean and sealed for protection from the elements, you will be able to help your furniture retain its strength and maintain its smooth finish and beautiful color. This will help it to last longer than if you didn’t take care of it properly and will keep it looking its best year-round.

caring for teak furniture is Misunderstood

This time of year we are bombarded with questions regarding caring for teak furniture during the winter months in Southern California.  One of the biggest misconceptions regarding teak furniture is that our relatively rainy Southern California winters can cause damage to outdoor teak furniture.  While any teak left unprotected can be damaged by any element, the sun, not water, is our main enemy for caring for teak furniture in our climate here in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles.

So How Should You Care For Your Teak Furniture in the Winter Months?

Wintertime is a great time to have your teak furniture professionally maintained for the upcoming year. While most people think they should wait until spring to have their teak furniture cleaned and re-sealed, the winter months are actually a better choice. With the right weather condition, your teak furniture will accept a new sealer better in the winter than any other time of year. Also, if you do choose the winter time for annual maintenance, your teak pieces will maintain their color for the better part of your heavy outdoor season. Lastly, most people don’t utilize their teak heavily in the winter so there is no inconvenience if you take care of maintenance during these months.

Caring for Teak Furniture – Choices

So what can you do? Well, you can either clean, sand and seal your pieces using your own time, materials and energy or trust the work of a trained professional who only deals in cleaning outdoor teak furniture.  At Teak & Deck Professionals, we pride ourselves on our ability to consistently maintain teak furniture for more than 750 customers across all of Southern California.  Give us a call so we can discuss your specifics with us and so that we can provide a free, no-risk estimate right over the phone. At a minimum, you’ll learn something about teak care that you didn’t previously know by speaking with our trained and experienced staff.

teak refinishing Video!

Teak & Deck Professionals just published a brief video showcasing examples of their amazing teak furniture refinishing transformations. The video, only about 30 seconds in length, shows sets of before and after photos and gives contact info to the company’s website. The video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4dtnQmmV14 . The pictures shown are normal, everyday examples of teak refinishing projects that can also be done for your teak furniture.

Most consumers still are not aware of the radical transformations that a professional teak refinishing company can do. Old furniture can be made to look brand new again and, with regular maintenance, all teak furniture can look its best year-round.  While teak furniture can be a sizable investment when purchased new, with regular maintenance, it can literally last forever, even in the harshest elements. Even teak furniture that has been uncared for for years can be made to look new again. Once restored, most teak furniture owners stay on an annual maintenance schedule so that their teak looks and feels its best year-round. It actually becomes more cost-effective to have maintenance done annually than it would be to have your teak furniture fully restored every 2-3 years.

If you own teak furniture and are not happy with its look, give Teak & Deck Professionals a call.  We service all major brands of furniture and can answer all of your questions regarding the best course of action for your particular situation.  For more information, contact a knowledgeable teak refinishing expert at 800-517-9362.

Cleaning Outdoor Teak Furniture

If you own outdoor teak furniture, now is the perfect time to get it in shape for Spring and Summer.  Cleaning outdoor teak with the right materials and a little hard work or you can trust the cleaning and sealing to a service company like Teak & Deck Professionals.

When cleaning outdoor teak furniture, use a mild house detergent to scrub away all discoloration and then rinse your pieces well. You can also use a commercial-grade oxygen bleach that will clean and brighten your teak piece back to their original state.  When sealing your teak furniture, only use a fully penetrating teak sealer. Never use teak oil as it does not penetrate the wood and will eventually darken your pieces. Cleaning outdoor teak done on a regular basis, your teak furniture can look its best all the time.

Do You Need Professional For Cleaning Outdoor Teak?

If you choose to use a professional to treat your teak furniture pieces, Teak & Deck Professionals can take care of all your needs as they do for over 750 active outdoor maintenance customers across Southern California. Call them 1t 800-517-9362 to get a free estimate on maintaining your outdoor pieces.

Cleaning Outdoor Teak Since 1999

To Seal or Not Seal new teak furniture?

A question we get all the time in our office is whether or not new teak furniture should be sealed. The simplest answer is a resounding ‘yes’ but there are reasons why some people may not choose to seal their pieces when new. Here are the top 3 reasons to seal pieces when new, along with reasons for not sealing as well.

1) Keep your teak furniture looking like-new all the time - Left unsealed, new teak furniture will begin to fade and lighten in a matter of months when left outside.  Only a properly applied, penetrating teak sealer (NOT Teak Oil!), will ensure that your pieces keep their showroom appearance for as long as possible.

2) Protect your teak furniture from the elements – When sealed with a marine-grade, penetrating, teak sealer, your new teak pieces will stay well protected from both sun and water damage.

3) Guard against the high cost of future restoration – By sealing your teak furniture when new, you enable future maintenance to be much less costly than if you didn’t have it sealed at all.  If you keep up with maintenance on an annual basis, it should only cost you between $25 and $50 per piece to keep your furniture looking its best. As a comparison, the cost to restore gray pieces that were not originally sealed can cost at least $100 per piece.

There are certainly those teak owners that like the look of weathered, gray teak furniture and they certainly don’t need their pieces to be sealed when new. If you like the look of your teak when purchased, sealing it when new is the best way to assure its longevity and good looks going forward.  If you’d like more information on sealing new teak furniture, please visit our webpage at www.teakanddeck.com/teak-refinishing/teak-sealing or call us directly at 800-517-9362.  We’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have or provide a free customized estimate right over the phone.

With all the rain we’ve been getting over the past week in Southern California, many of our customers are asking if there is anything they should be doing to safeguard their teak furniture. The short answer is “nothing”.

As long as you perform regular annual or semi-annual maintenance to your teak furniture, including the application of a marine-grade penetrating sealer, your teak furniture is prepared to withstand downpours and hold up against the strongest UV damage. It is only with furniture whose sealer’s protective qualities have degraded, that you need worry about the effects of water and sun on the wood itself.

Many of our residential customers see the obvious benefits associated with regular teak maintenance, and ask to be contacted at least once per year to have such a service performed at their home. Almost all of our commercial customers are on regular maintenance programs so that their teak is always looking its best and is always properly protected. These maintenance programs do pay off in times like these when outdoor furniture is exposed to the worst that Mother Nature has to offer.

10,000 Pieces of teak furniture and Counting!

Teak & Deck Professional is proud to announce that it has recently restored it’s 10,000th piece of teak furniture. “With residential and commercial customers all across Southern California, including San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles Counties, we’re not surprised that we reached this milestone but are certainly proud of its meaning”, states owner, Drew Isaacman. “With over 800 active customers, we also maintain these same pieces that we once brought back to life, which makes us doubly proud.

For information on how Teak & Deck Professionals can make your outdoor teak furniture look new again, give them a call at 800-517-9362.  They service all of Southern California including San Diego, Newport Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles and almost any other city from Santa Barbara to the Mexican Coast. They’ll provide a detailed teak restoration estimate right over the phone so you can make an informed decision.

Preparing Teak Furniture for Wintertime

While winters are certainly not harsh here in Southern California, your teak furniture will be exposed to more rain than normal over the coming few months. Combined with the regular sunlight that we receive in the winter, your teak furniture needs to be well protected for the coming months. Here are some ways to ensure that your furniture will looks its best going forward:

1) Make sure that the teak sealer on your outdoor teak furniture is still strong and active. If you haven’t had your teak maintained in the past 12 months, you can safely assume that your sealer is no longer able to do its job. Have your pieces maintained now so that the water will not dwell on your unprotected furniture. Your pieces will still look great come springtime and you’ll have the piece of mind that they are well protected for the winter.

2) If your pieces do have a recent sealer on them, try to keep them as clean and dry as possible over the coming months. A monthly cleaning with a mild cleaning agent should do the trick.

3) If you choose to cover your pieces over the winter, only use fully breathable, high-quality covers that will not trap moisture. These are not easy to find and we can recommend a high-quality source if you need one.

Above all else, know that your teak furniture is designed to withstand the winter months and should be enjoyed and used.

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