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ENABLING
OUTDOOR WOOD FURNITURE
TO WEATHER THE ELEMENTS IN STYLE
The appearance of any wood product will change in appearance,
whether it is a teak bench or a pressure treated
deck. How
well wood products weather the elements depends
on how well you protect it from the weather and
how well you care for it.
When wood furniture is untreated, it naturally changes color,
turning silver gray.
The precise tone will depend strongly on
the environmental conditions in your area.
If your yard is heavily shaded, then your
wood outdoor furniture may have dark spots,
especially if your furniture is positioned under
a tree.
If your climate is dry, or if your area experiences a dry
period, your wood outdoor furniture can develop
tiny cracks.
This cracking of the wood is a normal
characteristic that does not affect the
furniture’s strength or durability.
In fact, the small cracks usually vanish
once the humidity in the air increases again.
In other climatic conditions, small amounts of sap resin can
appear on the surface of the wood furniture.
This sap resin is easily removed once the
resin crystallizes.
However, if it is still tacky, then you
will have to carefully scrape the majority of
the resin of, and then follow up with mineral
spirits also known as Stoddard solvent to wipe
clean the remaining resin.
If your wood is not real teak, then you can use teak oil to
preserve the original beauty of your furniture. When using teak oil to protect your outdoor wood furniture
make sure that you apply the teak oil
approximately every three to six weeks.
By applying consistent teak oil
treatments, no only will you protect your
furniture, you will also reduce the weathering
process.
There are several steps to follow when applying the teak oil.
The first step is to remove any dirt that
may have accumulated on the furniture. This can be accomplished by scrubbing your furniture with a
stiff brush and warm soapy water.
Once your furniture is completely dry,
then you will want to smooth any rough areas by
lightly sanding them.
If you do not remove the dirt and excess
teak oil, then when you re-treatment your
furniture black spots can appear from where the
new oil and dirt have mixed.
The final step, thoroughly apply the teak oil making sure
that you pay particular attention to the end
grain of the furniture, any hidden surface areas
and all joints and services.
Wipe off any excess oil with a clean
cloth.
Please make sure that the teak oil ahs dried
fully before using the furniture to guarantee
that you do not ruin any of your clothing.
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