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Wood Furniture
Wood is generally
more lightweight than wrought iron, is aesthetically pleasing as it provides
more of a balance with garden areas.
Wood is the most popular choice and the most
popular wood is Teak. Wood is generally more lightweight than wrought iron, is
aesthetically pleasing as it provides more of a balance with garden areas. Wood
is also considered by many as more comfortable than either wrought iron or
aluminum. However, wood does require some maintenance. This is the reason why
you should select a tropical hardwood that contains high natural oil contents
such as Teak, Iroko, or Courbaril woods. These are weather resistant woods and
can be left outside in the elements year around.
Inspect the teak furniture that you wish to purchase carefully. You want to
ensure that that only mortice and tenon joints have been used in the
manufacturing of your Teak furniture and not bolts, which will rust and corrode.
If however, metal fittings have been used in the construction, then you want to
ensure that they are made from brass, stainless steel, or aluminum. These metals
are corrode resistant and will not harm your furniture over a period of time.
You also want to make sure that the wood used is only premium grade teak, and
that there are no knots, cracks, or other defects and that the wood was properly
kiln dried which optimizes moisture content, ensuring that the furniture retains
it shape and eliminates any cracking.
Many times epoxy-based glues are used to help secure the joints of teak garden
furniture. Epoxy glues tend to have the best performance and durability on all
types of joints as it is generally not affected by rain, frost, or extreme
temperatures.
No matter where you live, when you teak furniture is left out in the elements it
will become dirty and will need to be cleaned once in a while. This is easily
accomplished with warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush. Soon you will be able
to restore the beautiful silver grey weathered look of your teak furniture. If
however, it is required that you use a pressure hose, set the instrument at
60-80 bar [900-1200psi] with a distance of no less than 30cm. Any stronger
pressure used or closer distance and you can permanently damage your beautiful
furniture.
Weathered teak garden furniture should only need an annual scrubbing to enhance
its beauty. If you’ve placed your teak furniture in a shady area or if you live
in a damp climate and your furniture has become stained with alga growth, you
can add a small amount of bleach to the water you use to clean your furniture,
this will suppress any alga growth. For any other type of stains, such as grease
or oil stains, these can be washed immediately using a light detergent, then
rinsing with clean water, or you can leave them and let nature take its course
over time.
If you live in a very arid climate, small cracks may appear at the end of the
grain timbers. There is no need to be alarmed, for this is natural and when the
moisture in the atmosphere increases the timber will return to its original
condition.
There is no need for you to use teak oil or varnish on your teak outdoor
furniture, as these products will not extend the life of your furniture.
However, if your desire is to preserve the look of new teak furniture, then this
can be accomplished by applying teak oil to the furniture when it is new. Please
make sure that you follow the manufacturer's instructions, carefully. This is
generally a three-stage process. In addition, you have to ensure that the wood
is completely dry before you apply the teak oil, otherwise your furniture will
blacken.
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