Changing the Color of Teak Furniture? 7 Important Tips
Teak has a wide application in outdoor furniture because of its natural ability to withstand all weather conditions, rot, and water-resistant qualities.
The capacity of the wood to withstand exposure to moisture also accounts for its use in marine furniture and yacht decking.
Naturally, teak is a brightly colored wood with fine grains, making it an appealing wood for high-end furniture.
Most furniture makers only change teak color under two conditions: when used in a freshly constructed piece of furniture and old tired teak furniture. Simple colorwork can instantly transform grey, tired teak into its original golden honey color.
The procedure required for an old and new piece of furniture is quite the same. The cleaning procedure is the only difference between the two processes.
Cleaning old Teak furniture is more intense than a new one.
Below is a collection of tips that can guide you through getting an appealing result when changing the color of Teak furniture.
Start by Cleaning the Teak Furniture
Before you proceed to restore or change the color of teak furniture, it is vital to clean the furniture.
Start by wiping the furniture’s surface with a brush to help remove all the dirt, dust, specks of wood, or fluid found on the furniture surface.
Moreover, the friction from the brush enables you to loosen up the surface of the wood for the paint to penetrate easily through the wood grain.
After brushing off the surface of the wood, use water to rinse off the debris that must have formed on the surface of the wood. Mix a wood cleaner in warm water and use a brush to work it across the surface of the wood.
Cleaning the surface of the wood with a cleaner helps remove hardened dirt and loosen up the grains for the oil and finish to seep through.
When cleaning with a brush and warm water, it is essential to work along the direction of the grain to keep the pattern uniform.
After removing all visible specks of dirt from the wood surface, wash the surface with clean water. There may be a need to clean the furniture more than once to achieve appropriate results.
Apply a Wood Brightener
It is best to apply the wood brightener when the wood is still wet after the cleaning.
This helps the brightener seep into the wood faster.
After using the brighter, please Leave it to seep in for 10 minutes and then rinse the brightener off with warm water.
Smoothen the Surface
It doesn’t matter the condition of the wood you are working on, whether old or new; it is critical to ensure that the surface of the wood is smooth and uniform.
Use the appropriate scraping tool to remove all grits, vanishes, or feathery grains from the surface of the wood. Follow the direction of the wood grain when scraping.
Use 100 emery papers to clean off the wood surface and loosen up the wood for easy penetration of oil and finishing.
Apply Teak Oil
Allow the furniture to dry completely before applying teak oil. The presence of moisture in your furniture would cause the wood to shrink or crack in the future.
When using the oil, take a clean cloth and apply a small quantity of oil. Rub the surface of the wood with the oil, working it along the grains of the wood.
Following the grain gives it more tone, and the patterns are more visible. Besides, you get a uniform design that brings out the beauty of the grain.
There may be a need to apply more than one layer of oil to get a good result.
Leave about six hours between each round of coats to allow the oil to seep into the wood. Note that you can use any wood oil of your choice for this purpose.
Sand the Wood Surface
Sanding the wood surface after oiling would remove the excess oil from the wood surface and prepare the surface to hold the wood Stain.
Some people may skip the oiling process because the wood stain would cover the oil.
However, applying the oil on the high wood surface preserves the wood and prevents excessive moisture absorption.
Apply the Wood Stain
Apply the wood stain on the surface of the furniture using a cloth. Wood stain can be applied with fabric, foam, or brush.
However, to minimize wastage, it is ideal to use a piece of cloth.
Apply the wood stain on the surface of the furniture. It is best practice to follow the grain of the piece of furniture while working your way across the surface to create an appealing pattern.
Finish it up by applying any kind of wood polish to bring out the beauty of your furniture.
Things You Need To Change The Color Of Teak Furniture?
You would need some tools and materials to achieve the best result and quality. Below are some of them.
A Soft Paintbrush:
You need a paintbrush to work the wood stain across the surface of the wood.
Cloth:
With a cloth, you will apply the oil, wood stain, and wood polish to the surface of the wood.
Wood Polish:
You need wood polish to create a luster effect on the furniture.
Wax
You would use wax to help fill up deformities in the wood before applying stain and polish
100 Roll Emery Paper/120 Emery Paper/220 Emery Paper
The emery paper would help clean up the surface and loosen up the grain for the finishing.
Each emery paper is used at a different point during the process.
The 100 emery paper is first used to clean up the surface of the wood. The 120 and 220 emery paper works on the stain and polish for uniformity.
Wrapping Up
Before you dive into changing the color of your teak furniture, it is best to opt for a wood stain that would not hide the grains of your wood.
However, there is a need to apply multiple layers of stain to achieve a darker color. You can mask off all the furniture parts you do not want to stain. If you are looking to apply multiple pigment stains, mask areas where you would apply subsequent stains.
After each step of the process, you must allow the wood to dry completely before proceeding to the other steps.
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