How to Refinish Teak Wood Furniture

Do you have water or sun damaged teak wood furniture that has turned gray?

You can fix it! Here's how...

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Teak has so much warmth and character. You see it used a often to build outdoor furniture, indoor furniture, and even in boats. It holds up beautifully for years, but eventually it will turn gray. But it can be restored to its original glowing warmth fairly easily. Today, I'm sharing how I did it in a fairly easy way.

Honestly, I'm a fan of the grayed teak look in outdoor coastal settings. But I also really love the warm amber color of finished teak, especially for interior furniture.

When our house flooded in Hurricane Florence, my beloved teak coffee table unfortunately was submerged in water for many days. Because it was teak and I knew it could be refinished, it was one of the few pieces of furniture we were able to save.

The water was still rising when I took this picture. It eventually covered the table.

Here's what it looked like originally.

Then the table sat outside on the porch for another year or so before I had the chance to work on it.

So this is what it looked like before refinishing.

It was very gray, stained, dull, and sad looking. It really needed to be refinished and restored!

So here's how I did it!

WaterHow to Refinish Teak Wood Furniture: Materials

Water

Rags

Personal protection

Orbital sander

220 grit sandpaper

Tack cloth

Teak oil

Foam brush

How to Refinish Teak Wood Furniture: Process

1. Clean

If your teak furniture is dirty on the surface, this clean it with water and a rag to remove surface grime.

2. Sand

I used 220 grit sandpaper on my orbital sander to remove the layer of gray and surface scratches.

It was a very satisfying process to see the warm wood returning.

3. Wipe down

To clean up from the sanding process and prepare for the finish, I wiped the whole table down with tack cloth.

4. Apply teak oil

I followed the manufacturer's instructions to apply the teak oil.

I applied one coat, waited 10 minutes, then applied another coat, waited 15 minutes, and the wiped off and buffed.

It took several rags to wipe and buff the teak oil until it didn't feel sticky.

5. Allow to dry and cure

Then I waited the 6-8 hours per the instructions and it was done!

Here's a video of the teak refinishing process that may help:

@therootsofhome Refinishing a teak table #tiktokdiy #homeimprovement #DoritosFlatLife #foryoupage #momsoftiktok #refinishingfurniture ♬ Sunset Lover - Petit Biscuit

I'm so pleased that my teak coffee table has been restored to its original warm and glowing color!

I'm also pleased to be joining in with a creative group who are sharing our Finish Up February projects! We all have those projects that have been hanging around unfinished. Here's our chance to knock one out!