Wear and Tear

Why do cracks occasionally appear on my furniture?

Why is it that teak furniture becomes grey over time?

What is patina? What does it mean?

How long will it take for my furniture to become grey?

What is dead timber cell? What does it mean?

Is it all right if I remove the dead timber cell? And how?

Will my outdoor furniture’s stain fade? How long will it take for the stain to fade?

Cracks may occur at the end of a timber component that makes up your furniture, such as the top of legs of the end of arms. This is also known as “end checks”. This is because the end surface dries at a faster rate compared to the core of the component. Thus, the core acts as a restraint to the ends and causes it to crack. Note that this is a normal occurrence for any timber furniture, including teak. One of the natural properties of teak is the high oil content found that allows it to withstand the weather. Your teak furniture becomes grey because as you leave the furniture outside, the natural oil rose to the surface and consequently exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet light. This causes the oil to oxidise and as a result the surface of your furniture becomes grey. Patina in teak furniture refers to accumulated residue of oxidised natural oil found on the surface of aged teak. This is the reason that your teak furniture becomes grey. Please see above question for further explanation. From its unfinished stage, it should take approximately 12-18 months for your teak furniture to develop patina/grey. However, this may vary as some furniture are placed under cover and may take longer for it to become grey. Dead timber cell are very fine filaments that appear on the surface of your furniture. This normally occurs within the first few weeks after it is exposed to the weather. This is because the surface is exposed to the weather, but the natural oil has not risen up to this surface. Consequently the surface dried up and it gives off the dead timber cell away. It is not a problem to remove the dead timber cell. Simply use a solution of warm soapy water and soft bristled scrub. It is advised that you do this after approximately 3 weeks after you put your furniture out or when it appears that the surface had given off most of the dead timber cell. As off any pigment that’s left outside in the weather, the pigment in your stain will eventually fade. It will take approximately 6 to 12 months for the stain to fade. However, this is only the stain/pigment fading, but the natural oil or the teak oil applied on the furniture would still be there. It is not after 12 months that you would need to re-oil your furniture.