How to Refinish Teak Wood
Teak is an oily wood used to make indoor as well as outdoor furniture. It is also used on yachts. When it gets scratched, stained, or otherwise damaged, instead of discarding it, try refinishing it. While it does take some energy, a few chemicals, and a place where you can work that is well ventilated and easy to clean up, the effort you put into refinishing your teak wood is well worth it. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Soft rags
- Chemical stripper
- Protective gloves
- Plastic scraper
- Paper towels
- Lacquer thinner
- Steel wool
- 220 grit sandpaper or tack cloth
- Vibrating finish sander (optional)
- Teak oil
- Lacquer (optional)
Instructions
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Clean the teak wood with a soft rag to remove any wax or polish from the surface. Next, apply a chemical stripper that is approved for use on teak, like Citristrip. This will take off the old finish so that you can start fresh. Chemical strippers are gels that must remain on the surface of the teak for around 30 minutes so that the chemicals will interact with the old finish and lift it off the furniture. Make sure that you do this step in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves.
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Remove the chemical stripper, again following the directions on the package. You will need to scrape off the gel using a plastic scraper or spatula. Get all the residual material with some paper towels. Finally, wash the teak wood surface with lacquer thinner. Use steel wool to apply the lacquer thinner. Make sure that you rub every inch of the teak wood surface. This step should also be done in a well-ventilated area.
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Sand the teak wood surface with a vibrating finish sander if you have one. You can also accomplish this step using 220 grit sandpaper and elbow grease. It takes a lot longer but it works as well if you are thorough.
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Decide how to refinish the teak wood surface. There are a few options. If your teak wood furniture will remain outdoors, you could elect to be finished at this point. The teak wood will weather outdoors turning a light grey. Another outdoor option is to use an oil based stain to color the teak wood surface.
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Polish the teak wood surface with teak oil. You can also use tung oil. Other final options are to coat the teak wood with lacquer or even with an coat of transparent acrylic sealer.
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