Maintenance of teak furniture
With years of experience in processing teak to make the most beautiful furniture, Troedoor can give you the best advice to enjoy your beautiful teak furniture to the fullest.
Teak wood is a natural product. Therefore, it is also natural that teak may have knots and/or unevenness. This is typical of teak. There may also be repair pieces in the teak. This, too, is allowed. Because teak furniture is made from recycled material, pieces of teak may be worse from previous use. This is replaced in Indonesia by inserting pieces of teak wood. This is part of recycled sustainable teak furniture.
Under the influence of light, humidity and temperature differences, teak wood may show slight shrinkage. This can cause small cracks to appear in the teak. This is a natural process and not a bad thing. With changing conditions, the teak may even close again. For permanent cracks, the cracks can be filled with liquid wood.
Teak wood comes from the tropics where there is high humidity. Teak furniture is dried in Indonesia in a controlled manner. Still, the humidity in the teak may be higher than allowed. This may be due to transportation, among other things. Condensation can form in a container, making the furniture more humid than allowed. In the Netherlands, humidity is a lot lower, especially in Dutch well-insulated homes where there is heating and air conditioning. Therefore, to preserve your teak furniture, make sure the humidity is constant by placing a humidifier or containers of water in the house or hanging them on the heater.
How does your furniture stay as beautiful as it is in the store?
If you have purchased a beautiful piece of teak furniture from Troedoor, of course you want to know how to keep this furniture as beautiful as possible. Because teak is oily, dirt and water are not readily absorbed by the wood. This makes teak wood last longer and therefore durable. Oil and maintenance products are also not readily absorbed by the wood. Still, there are a few options to get maximum enjoyment from your new teak furniture.
Not treating your teak furniture
You keep your teak furniture untreated. For teak cabinets and teak dressers, it won't matter much. Intensive teak furniture in particular, such as teak tables, will come to life more and more. The surface becomes smoother with use, the natural oil comes out, the teak will darken a bit and you will see signs of use.
Still find that the signs of use are getting too bad and you want to clean the furniture? If so, it can be done with green soap, baking soda or linseed oil. These products are greasy and will not extract the natural oil from the wood. You can dissolve the product in water and wipe it off with a damp cloth. Never use other cleaning agents. Cleansers such as all-purpose cleaner or dish soap degrease and will thereby remove the natural oil from the top layer of the teak. This makes the top layer slightly porous, so grease and dirt are more likely to penetrate the table.
Teakfix
Teakfix is a colorless water-based protector for untreated teak furniture. After treatment with Teakfix, the color of the wood hardly changes. Teakfix protects against dirt and moisture stains. It is less resistant to grease stains.
Processing teakfix:
The surface to be treated should be clean. Clean the furniture as indicated above. Spread Teakfix evenly with a cloth or brush, then wipe with a cloth and leave to dry for at least 24 hours.After 24 hours you can apply a second coat. For untreated teak furniture that is treated for the first time, it is advisable to apply 2-3 coats for optimal protection.
Teak furniture treated with teakfix should be treated 3 to 4 times a year.
Before applying a new coat, it is recommended to first clean and/or degrease the surface with woodclean intensive wood cleaner.
If you do get stains, it is best to remove them immediately with a cloth or tissue. You can try removing persistent stains with Woodclean intensive wood cleaner. Then thinly re-treat the treated surface with teakfix.
You can try removing stubborn stains with a scouring pad, always treat with Teakfix afterwards.
Woodsealer
This is a water-based impregnating oil for indoors, The teak wood will hardly discolor because of this. It may get a little darker.
It gives the teak furniture optimal protection against water, grease and oil.
It is not a maintenance product, but a finishing product for untreated teak wood
Processing Woodsealer:
The surface to be treated should be clean. Clean the furniture as indicated above Apply the oil in an area of 15 to 20 degrees celcius. Apply the oil with a brush or roller. Remove the excess oil applied with a cloth. After 3 hours, you will see if the wood is slightly roughened by the oil. If so before applying the second coat, lightly sand the wood with fine sandpaper. Dust off and apply the second coat.
The more coats you apply the more the teak furniture will shine, but also the more the teak furniture is protected.
You should treat the teak furniture 2 to 3 times, following the above method.
Waxoil
A care product specifically for all woods with a natural or matte wax and/or oil finish. It provides extra protection, conditions, nourishes and refreshes. WaxOil is a universal care product and consists of a combination of pure wax and natural oil.
Shake bottle well before use and test the product in an inconspicuous area for color fastness and resistance. Compare only after drying. First clean and degrease the surface with Natural Wood Cleaner.
Apply WaxOil thinly to a clean cloth and rub the surface evenly in a circular fashion. Leave this on for 1-5 minutes (no longer) and only then remove the excess WaxOil with a clean cloth. At the end, wipe again with a clean cloth in the grain direction. Used cloth is self-igniting; rinse very well with water or store cloth in tube. Repeat treatment 2 to 3 times a year.
Skylt
Skylt is a 2-component polyurethane paint. Skylt Original gives a unique untreated look and leaves an ultra matte finish. This product comes with one component A and one component B (hardener). Skylt protects very well against water and dirt, the surface becomes elastic and wear-resistant. Even at low viewing angles, the surface looks great after treatment with Skylt Ultramat.
We recommend that skylt be applied by us
If you want to apply it yourself:
Before use, bring the Skylt to room temperature in good time. The surface should be clean, dry, wax and grease free before the Skylt is applied. You should shake component A well and pour what you need into a paint bucket. While stirring, add part of component B and mix the 2 components well. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes and then stir the Skylt well again. Once both components are mixed together, you have about 2 to 3 hours to apply it. Do not process Skylt at temperatures below 10 degrees or above 30 degrees. Apply the Skylt in even strips or sections. A full benatting dries less quickly and flows better, giving you more time to make wet-on-wet connections. Intermediate sanding is not necessary for adhesion, however, we recommend using a low high grid sanding sponge to lightly sand the surface for smoother results.
You should apply Skylt on an untreated/sanded surface at least 3 times. In case of renovation, you should first clean and lightly sand the furniture, then 1 or 2 coats of Skylt is sufficient. Skylt is one of the few lacquers that do not require polishing, small scratches and damages are simply part of the characteristics of the lacquer. After the final Skylt coat, do not cover the surface for 14 days! The surface must not come into contact with water for the first 14 days after the final Skylt coat! Tools can be cleaned with acetone after the varnish has hardened.
Overcoatable after: 3 - 4 hours
Sandable after: 8 hours
Lightly loadable after: 12 - 16 hours
Fully loadable after: 7 - 14 days
You should apply Skylt on an untreated/sanded surface at least 3 times. In case of renovation, you should first clean and lightly sand the furniture, then 1 or 2 coats of Skylt is sufficient. Skylt is one of the few lacquers that do not require polishing, small scratches and damages are simply part of the characteristics of the lacquer. You can treat approximately 10 to 12m2 with 1 liter of Skylt. When applying the first coat on untreated wood, you should apply Skylt fuller, then it will be about 8m2. Skylt Original is available in 1 liter vials.
Notice:
When used on brushed Kasar teak, black stains may appear. This is because the teak used is recycled teak. There can always be holes in the wood that hold dirt. The skylt cannot flow into every hole, resulting in a sealed layer over the wood that does not adhere 100% in all areas. The dirt in the teak is pushed out of the wood by the oil-containing substances, but cannot leave because there is a sealed layer over it, this is what causes the black-blue stains.