Teak Oil

Keep your garden furniture looking good with natural teak oil

Don't gloss over your outdoor tables and benches with paint or varnish

Teak Oil is an ideal way of giving a weatherproof treatment to your garden furniture. It is a natural substance derived (or should be) from managed stocks of teak hardwood trees. Using hardwood products has understandably got bad publicity in recent years but if the teak oil is produced from sustainable sources then the environment is not being damaged by deforestation and you can rest easy when purchasing this material. The can should reassure you but don't be afraid to ask for more information if you aren't sure.

Because teak oil goes such a long way, cans are relatively small - 500 ml or 1 litre in size. A small tin of teak oil can easily be used to apply two coats to a wooden table and bench - all you need for a year's protection from the elements. Apply the teak oil with a rag or, better still, a clean paintbrush making sure to massage it in to all exposed areas. A complete set of garden furniture can be protected in only a matter of a few hours.

At first the timber will darken slightly but that is just because it is wet. Allowing the teak oil to dry for a day will bring back the wood's natural colours. On the subject of colours, the oil comes in different shades and can be used to lighten, darken, yellow or redden the colour of the furniture. We only use the natural colour but the choice is yours.

The two great things about teak oil over varnish and paint is that the timber's texture is unaffected and that there is no danger of a sticky excess being deposited on your clothes on a hot day. Paint and varnish take a lot longer than overnight to dry and, since they are both to a large extent thermosetting, they never really do. Teak oil soaks into the wood and therefore it does not leave residue to rub off. This is particularly important if there are small children or pets a about.

Teak oil really does extend the life of your valued garden furniture - for example we bought our tables and benches 10 years ago and treat them annually with oil - they are still in a very good condition and I look forward to not buying new ones for many years to come.

If you have wooden garden furniture, I definitely recommend making it last longer with teak oil.