Working alongside some of Europe’s most experienced outdoor furniture specialists as we do is a privilege. Year after year they astound us with their latest designs and continue to impress us with the quality of their materials and workmanship.
Brand names include Tribù, Manutti, Fast and Emu. Each one is world-renowned in the area of outdoor design. So when a product leaves our showroom for its ‘forever home’ we know that it should last a lifetime. Caring for your outdoor furniture is an absolute must. Done the right way, maintenance will be low and the rewards long lasting.
Teak Garden Furniture
Caring for your outdoor furniture when it’s wood may seem like a daunting task. The popularity of wood such as teak, however, is testament to its longevity and style. Teak is incredibly durable with its natural oils making it waterproof, rot free and unattractive to insects – ideal material for garden furniture. It’s also been the wood of choice for sailing boats for centuries.
All of our teak is responsibly sourced from sustainable plantations as you would expect. This noble material takes a long time to grow and it’s tricky to harvest. Teak is therefore in high demand and expensive. But while it may be a larger initial outlay than other materials, it’s definitely an investment worth making. Well cared for teak furniture should last a life-time. Better for you and the planet.
Weathered Teak
Good quality aged teak has beautiful shades of honey brown. When left outside and untreated the colour will change slowly from those honey-amber tones to a silver-grey patina. Think of those many park benches around the UK.
Some people love the look. Others prefer to keep teak looking as fresh as the day they bought it.
So if you are one of the latter here’s our easy guide to caring for your outdoor furniture when it’s teak.
- Clean teak with a specialist cleaner (PH neutral soap) and damp microfibre cloth
- Using a very light sandpaper or scrubbing pad (supplied with cleaning kits) gently sand in the direction of the grain
- Then clean again with a soft brush or small vacuum and clean damp cloth
- Leave to dry completely
- Apply a specialist teak oil/sealer, with a microfibre cloth or synthetic sponge, and wipe away any excess oil
- Leave to dry for approximately 1 hour
- Apply a second coat of sealer, and again wipe away any excess
- This should dry within approximately 1 hour.
Your furniture is then ready to use (although we’d leave it until the following day to be on the safe side) and it will look as beautiful as the day you bought it.
Specialist Cleaning Kits
With all of our teak furniture optional specialist cleaning kits are available. We and the manufacturers strongly recommend them. There are plenty of cheap teak cleaning kits around but we’d advise to check the list of ingredients. Avoid a cleaning oil with linseed; cricket bats like it, in our experience teak doesn’t. Also never be tempted to varnish teak furniture. This will result in peeling and making the wood generally unsightly.
Brand New Teak
Should you treat brand new teak? The answer is yes. If you want to keep it looking fresh and cut down on seasonal maintenance.
Our general manager James Crauford-Taylor advises, “With brand new teak, wait for a couple of weeks then clean it gently (clean water, PH neutral soap and a microfibre cloth) allowing it to completely dry. Follow this with a couple of coats of teak oil/sealer. This should keep it looking good all season and help you avoid the heavier maintenance of sanding etc. the following year”.
James also advises keeping teak furniture (and all outdoor furniture) covered in the harsher winter months with well-fitting covers to prolong its beauty.
Cleaning Outdoor Fabric
There are some exceptionally beautiful outdoor fabrics available now. Our specialist brands supply a range of their own, specially manufactured textiles. These have all been created and tested for UV resistance, rot, water-resistance, chlorine and abrasion. They are also incredibly tactile and soft to the touch, very much like indoor fabrics. We also work with leading fabric houses such as Romo who supply some stunning outdoor fabrics. We have sample books in our Kings Road showroom or samples can be posted out to you.
Outdoor fabrics come in a variety of materials and include acrylics, polyesters, polyolefins and often combinations of all. Polyester and polyolefin are also 100% recyclable. Some covers are removable and washable at 30 degrees. Others are easily cleaned with water and a mild soap solution.
It’s therefore important to check the labels when buying so that you know what the fabric is. Our high-quality garden furniture also comes with booklets on care and maintenance. Following the advice will ensure your outdoor furniture looks great for years to come.
- For removable covers in Polyolefin / Polyester/ Acrylic & Polyester: scape away any heavy solids and dab with a mild PH neutral soap solution and clean cloth
- Wash at 30 degrees and leave to dry naturally
- For non removable covers: scrape away any heavy solids
- Gently dap with a clean, damp microfibre cloth and a mild PH neutral soap solution
- For knitted fabrics: these are usually made from synthetic material. Do not use anything abrasive (steel brushes or caustic cleaners for example). Do not use high pressure water or steam. Use a PH neutral soap and clean water with a soft cloth. Allow to dry and apply a manufacturer recommended textile protector.
Putting in some TLC with your outdoor furniture will ensure long-lasting beauty and furniture you’ll be as proud of as we are.