Teak garden furniture care: bench, chair, lounge set and lounger

“Teak garden furniture care” sounds like one job, but a garden bench, a folding chair and a lounge set with cushions each need something different. This page goes through the furniture one piece at a time. The basics (keep the colour or let it go grey, which product, when) are in how to treat teak; the steps for cleaning, protector and sealer outdoors are in how to treat outdoor teak furniture.

First: one choice for the whole set

Treat a set as a whole. If you choose silver-grey, doing little is enough; Gloster recommends that itself, with a thorough clean once or twice a year (Gloster). See letting teak go grey. If you want to keep the brown colour, start with a sealer and keep it up (Tribù instructions). Whatever you choose, stick to one system from one brand, because protector, sealer and oil don’t always go together (Tribù instructions, Gloster).

Garden bench

A garden bench has one weak spot: the seat. It’s a horizontal surface where rain sits and leaves fall. Gloster calls horizontal surfaces the more exposed parts and advises giving them (on table tops) a protector twice a year, in April and October (Gloster). For a bench, that’s a sensible rule of thumb, although Gloster only mentions it for table tops.

Mind the location:

• Not under a tree. Vincent Sheppard links mildew and black stains to rainwater and tree sap (Vincent Sheppard).
• Remove leaves, berries and bird droppings quickly, to avoid stains and mould (Tribù instructions).
• Don’t stand a new bench on pale natural stone. New teak releases oil and pigment for the first two to three months, which can discolour porous stone (Gloster).

Gaps between the slats aren’t a design flaw: Gloster explains that outdoor furniture traditionally has slats rather than wide boards because timber moves more outdoors (Gloster). Keep those gaps free of leaves and dirt.

Chairs, folding chairs and adjustable furniture

With furniture that has hinges and fittings, there’s one extra job: checking bolts and fittings.

• The Dutch furniture company Hartman advises checking at least once a year that all nuts and bolts are still tight (Hartman, Dutch).
• The Dutch furniture company Hamilton Bay explains why: as the wood expands and shrinks with the weather, the metal fittings on adjustable furniture can work loose. Then retighten them “hand-tight” with a spanner (Hamilton Bay, Dutch).

A logical moment is the start of the season, when you’re giving the furniture a thorough clean anyway.

The Dutch teak company Teak.nl advises putting furniture with moving parts, such as steamer chairs and folding chairs, under a roof where possible (Teak.nl, Dutch). If you use a cleaner, protector or sealer near metal or textilene (sling fabric) parts, keep them as clean as you can: the Dutch furniture company Traditional Teak writes that its products don’t harm aluminium, brass or textilene, but still advises against contact and has wet splashes wiped off with water (Traditional Teak, Dutch). Other brands may react differently; check the label. Don’t use steel wool or a wire brush: according to Gloster, steel can leave rust spots in teak (Gloster).

Lounge sets and anything with cushions

With a lounge set, maintenance is mostly about the combination of wood and fabric.

Oil from the wood. New teak releases oil that can stain pale fabrics. Gloster advises not leaving pale cushions on or next to the furniture in wet weather during the first months (Gloster). Vincent Sheppard advises checking a new piece for leaked oil after unpacking and letting it dry outside for 24 to 48 hours first (Vincent Sheppard). Tribù warns that oil surfacing is a naturally repeating process that cannot be prevented (Tribù instructions).

Stains in the fabric. Gloster names an upholstery cleaner and, for stubborn stains, an oil soap (Gloster).

Storing cushions. Hamilton Bay points out that a cushion storage box protects against splashes but is not 100% waterproof, so don’t store cushions damp. Wash at no more than 40 °C (104 °F) or hand-warm, and never with a detergent containing bleach (Hamilton Bay, Dutch). Always follow the care label of the fabric itself.

Sun loungers and daybeds

A sun lounger combines the points to watch on a chair (check adjustable fittings) and a lounge set (cushions). On top of that, a lounger often lies flat in full sun, on grass or a patio. Make sure the legs don’t stand in a puddle: for tables, the Dutch furniture company Souren Meubels advises raising the legs so they don’t stand in the rain (Souren Meubels, Dutch). If it’s adjustable, put it under a roof if you can (Teak.nl, Dutch).

Garden table

The table is the piece that gets the most use and the first stains. It has its own guide: teak table care. For water marks and spilt food: how to clean teak furniture.

A yearly plan for a teak set

When	What	Source
Start of the season (spring)	clean thoroughly; check bolts and fittings; apply protector or sealer	Gloster, Hartman, Hamilton Bay
April	protector on table tops	Gloster
During the season	light weekly clean; remove leaves and bird droppings; move pots	Tribù
October	second protector treatment for horizontal surfaces, ahead of winter	Gloster
Winter	leaving it out is fine; or store dry, unheated and ventilated; not straight into a heated room	Tribù, Gloster

Sources: Gloster, Hartman, Dutch, Hamilton Bay, Dutch, Tribù instructions.

Covering it in winter: the opinions

Manufacturers disagree here, so here they are side by side:

• Hartman: never cover the chairs. Condensation can form under a cover, the furniture can’t breathe, and stains, marks or rust can appear (Hartman, Dutch).
• Teak.nl: advises against covers because covered teak is more prone to mould (Teak.nl, Dutch).
• Hamilton Bay: a cover is fine, but the wood must not be sealed off and there must be space between the cover and the ground (Hamilton Bay, Dutch).
• Gloster: sells breathable covers, on condition that the furniture is completely dry and you remove the cover regularly (Gloster, covers).

Conclusion: a cover isn’t necessary. If you use one, make it breathable and never put it over wet or freshly treated wood (Tribù: never cover recently treated furniture) (Tribù instructions).

Hairline cracks and other “movement”

Hairline cracks in the surface are a normal result of drying out, not a defect, according to Hamilton Bay; small cracks can be filled with a little waterproof wood glue (Hamilton Bay, Dutch). Vincent Sheppard calls cracks, especially in the end grain, normal and without effect on durability or strength (Vincent Sheppard). Cleaning without damage: how to clean teak furniture. If a piece is really worn or has turned black, read how to restore it.

And a teak cabinet or indoor piece?

Indoor furniture is a different situation: no rain and sun, but dry air from central heating. The Dutch teak shop Polder Teak advises standing indoor furniture level, keeping an eye on humidity and treating it twice a year with beeswax or furniture oil (Polder Teak, Dutch). Polder Teak uses fine steel wool along the grain for this; Gloster advises against steel wool because it can leave rust spots (Gloster). The full indoor advice is in indoor teak care.