Finish for indoor teak?

[Dean Karavite]

Hi all. We have this large teak coffee table. My wife bought it a while back from an import place. Back then it developed water rings, so I cleaned those up and used clear satin gel stain over the top. It looked nice for a long time, but my wife recently wiped down the the thing with a wet rag (won't happen again, I promise) and now it is sort of washed out and faded. What is the best way to get it back and take care of it - should I still use the clear gel stain, oil... some combo?

[Scott Holmes]

Gel stains are not finish they are stain. Stains need a top coat over them.

Most teak is done with an in-the-wood finish. I would recommend an oil/varnish blend. Watco is one such product the is ready to use. I normally mix my own using 1/3 varnish, 1/3 boiled lineseed oil and 1/3 mineral spirits.

Wipe it on, let it soak in, then after about 20 mins wipe the excess off and let it dry overnight. Repeat the next day... you are good to go. Avoid furniture polish with silicone in it.

Watco makes many different colors of their oil/varnish "Danish Oil" they just add a bit of stain to the oil/varnish blend; don't go too dark with the stain color on teak.

[Peter Luch]

I would try a product called Penofin. They make interior products and I have used it on lot's of teak.
My whole ceiling downstairs is teak shiplap all done with 2 coats of penofin per the instructions.

Be careful do not leave soaked rags around!!!!

Aloha, Pete

[Scott Holmes]

Dean,

I checked the MSDS sheets of the Penofin finishes that Pete suggested.
Only thing they list is vegtable oil.. and a bunch of solvents.

Probably not very protective for a table. Teak is very durable by itself for floors.

[Leann Decker]

Hi all. We have this large teak coffee table. My wife bought it a while back from an import place. Back then it developed water rings, so I cleaned those up and used clear satin gel stain over the top. It looked nice for a long time, but my wife recently wiped down the the thing with a wet rag (won't happen again, I promise) and now it is sort of washed out and faded. What is the best way to get it back and take care of it - should I still use the clear gel stain, oil... some combo?


The best way to get teak back to it's original beauty is by using a teak cleaner on it. The cleaner that I use restores it fully and makes my teak look brand new! ( http://www.westminsterteak.com/PID30100/Golden-Teak-Furniture-Care-Products ). You CAN use a stain or oil on it but from my experiences that will not protect it in the future, especially from everyday things such as water rings. That same site I listed as a "Teak Shield". The main purpose of the product is to shield your furniture from oil stains, water stains, wine stains, and the liking. I have it on all of my table tops made of teak. You can add it onto your chairs and such if you want but I do not see much need for it. The best part is that because it is topical, you don't need to get it into all the cracks and crevices so the maintenance is pretty low! Let me know if you have any other questions about it! ( http://www.westminsterteak.com/PID30103/Golden-Teak-Furniture-Care-Products )

[Randy Goodhew]

I would try a product called Penofin. They make interior products and I have used it on lot's of teak.
My whole ceiling downstairs is teak shiplap all done with 2 coats of penofin per the instructions.


Penofin is an excellent product for teak.
It's based upon an interesting drying oil that gives results similar to tung oil products.