Discoloration on surface of new teak table

For the record, I also agree with the posters who said that aged teak looks=
nice-- my assumption is that you're trying to preserve what you see 'now'.=
=20

Furthermore, the poster (sorry, I'm on my cell) who noted that the UV will =
get it either way is also dead on-- doesn't matter whether it's teak or PT-=
at the end of the day there's no transparent coat that can stop the grayin=
g. You'll need to maintain by sanding & recoating. Maybe a thick plastic t=
ablecloth (for those casual days) will help a bit-- like some cover their d=
ining room table all year until Thanksgiving-- that may help a bit too, but=
make sure the plastic is not torn, or you'll get moisture under there. =20

Great points folks.

On Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 2:50:48 AM UTC-4, [email protected] wrote:
Rob: =20

My hunch is that DadiOh is on the right track-- especially if this is in fu=
ll sun, the Sun's UV will break down that wood with a reasonable amount of=
speed... But a week's a little quick. =20

However, just to check-- you said "cloth." How often did this cloth get we=
t? Did the cloth retain any moisture? Moisture, in the form of water, oil=
, (or the protectant that you're intending to apply, for that matter) will =
darken wood.

I would recommend first, get the cloth off the table; second, make sure th=
e teak is completely dry. Completely. Use a hair dryer (or heat gun on L=
OW and pulled WAY back from the surface-- about 2 feet+ if you use the gun)=
to see if that darkness disappears with heat. If so, do not coat the surf=
ace until that moisture is gone. =20

Regardless, yes, you should sand the surface prior to coating. Often thing=
s called "bare wood" coming out of furniture plants are still coated with..=
. something to help protect them while in the company's possession. It cou=
ld be a waxy or quick oil coat. I've even seen thin plastic-y veneers used =
for this purpose. if you don't scruff that stuff off, you'll get an uneven=
, blotchy finish-- if your finish sticks at all. In addition, if DadiOh i=
s right, and the surrounding lighter tone is from UV breakdown, then you ne=
ed to get through that graying dead-wood fiber to get your coat down to the=
good lumber you're intending to coat.=20

For an outdoor teak table, no need to go any further than 120 or 150 grit p=
aper WITH the grain (goes w/o saying) and I wouldn't go to a power sander o=
f any variety fr this. Just scruff the surface until you see color get r=
easonable consistent throughout (with tolerances for grain and different bo=
ards of course.) If you run into plastic or wax, keep going until that's go=
ne-- plastic you'll see pieces peeling upward from abrasion and heat; wax w=
ill clog your paper with sticky residue pretty quickly. Get all that dus=
t off of there, and then coat it with a quality oil--=20

The object is teak; I'm assuming that you'll have it in sun or water per th=
e above comments and from your original post-- the word is QUALITY oil. Do=
n't go to Thompson's for this.=20

You'll need to recoat this item fairly often in the outdoor environment, as=
suming full/partial sun and moisture. Tung Oil and Boiled linseed oil (AVO=
ID the RAW Linseed Oil at all costs for this project) are both traditional =
teak finishes but you need to make sure that the one you grab is rated for=
outdoor/exterior use. Additionally they often need to be recoated more of=
ten. Anything that calls itself "X Oil FINISH" has other ingredients in it=
; it may add a sheen. If that's what you want, then that's fine, again, ju=
st assure yourself you can use the stuff outside.=20

Avoid "teak oil" 'cause you can't tell what it's really made with from manu=
facturer to manufacturer, and it's usually marketed at a higher price point=
to "teak consumers" even though it's little more than a combo of the above=
two. =20

I've had good success with General Finishes Outdoor Oil for teak & cedar-- =
decent UV and great water protection. Cabot Australian Timber Oil's line i=
s good as well. For my money and time, I'd go General for this project-- =
it lasts longer than the traditional products and is a little more viscous=
than the Aussie. =20

There are also a bunch of other "Just fine" products on the market for what=
you're doing-- there's honestly not a lot of precision required on this pr=
oject. But there's even more junk, and the junk is usually the first thin=
g that someone can put their hands on at a big box store. If you've already=
picked something up, post it here, and someone will definitely get back to=
you with a metric from 'quality to junk.' If you don't have anything yet, =
head to your nearest Rockler, Woodcraft or other local quality woodworking =
shop.=20
=20
Finally, I've seen a lot of slatted teak tables recently-- not 6" x 2" boar=
ds you'd see on a traditional picnic table, but instead about 3/4" x 2" sla=
ts with another 3/8" to 1/2" of space between them. If your table looks li=
ke this, don't forget to do the sides of these slats. Saturate a rag in yo=
ur finish, floss it through the slats, and make sure you get those sides. =
(...then dry/dispose of the rag according to our knowledge of finish dispos=
al-- any of these products has the potential of spontaneous combustion.)=20

Good luck-- Hope that helps.=20

S

replying to pa3865, Iggy wrote:
We tan, wood bleaches. You can try to see if the spot catches up with the Sun
exposure and it will eventually. But, for something more immediate you'd have
to sand the whole top and then apply your One-Time Wood Protector (
http://onetimewood.com/ ) and use a slightly raised mesh, grid or grill under
any centerpiece to avoid obvious "staining".

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodworking/discoloration-on-surface-of-new-teak-table-811491-.htm

Teak ages gracefully if allowed. Consider it patina of high end wood.
Battleships have Teak decks because it is strong, and lasts. They have
spare below in case a hole is blown through. It is easily replaced.

Martin


On 10/22/2017 1:50 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I bought a new teak outdoor table and left it outside (under cover but still exposed to sun and wind and a little rain). The wife put a piece of cloth in the middle of the table with some ornaments on top of the cloth. A week later I wanted to put some surface protector on the table top and removed the cloth and the wood under the cloth was darker than the rest of the table. I assume now would not be a good time to apply the wood protector, what do you recommend? If I leave it a bit longer will it change color to be the same as the rest of the table, or do I need to do something, eg. sand or wash it in order to make it the same color as the rest of the table?
>
> Thanks,
> Rob.
>

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Hi,

I bought a new teak outdoor table and left it outside (under cover but still
exposed to sun and wind and a little rain). The wife put a piece of cloth in
the middle of the table with some ornaments on top of the cloth. A week
later I wanted to put some surface protector on the table top and removed
the cloth and the wood under the cloth was darker than the rest of the
table. I assume now would not be a good time to apply the wood protector,
what do you recommend? If I leave it a bit longer will it change color to be
the same as the rest of the table, or do I need to do something, eg. sand or
wash it in order to make it the same color as the rest of the table?

Wood color changes with exposure to light. The dark area will change to the
same as the rest whether or not you apply the "wood protector".

Rob wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>do I need to do something, eg. sand or wash it in order to make it the same
>color as the rest of the table?

Rob, this is going to be a contrarian view, but I'm basing it on about forty
years of experience with teak, having owned and restored a classic wooden
sailboat through all those years.

First of all, that dark area will lighten eventually under sunlight no
matter what kind of finish you put on it, even a high-UV-protective finish
like marine spar varnish. And it won't take too long either. So go ahead and
finish it if you want, but once you do you'll be committed to maintaining
the finish.

But on the other hand, for wood that's left unfinished, teak is about the
finest wood on the planet. It's durable and rot-resistant, and when left
alone turns a nice silvery grey, with a lot of character. I have a deck area
on my boat that's never had finish on it during the entire sixty years of
its life. Every spring I scrub it down with soap and water, with a
soft-bristle brush so as not to erode the softer grain. Sometimes I squirt
in a little bleach water if the wood seems a little dark.

For lawn furniture, if you really want to brighten it up, spray it down with
some of what the hardware stores call '30-second cleaner' or something like
that, scrub it lightly, hose it down with clear water, and let it dry. It'll
knock your socks off.

Tom

On Sat, 21 Oct 2017 23:50:45 -0700 (PDT)
[email protected] wrote:

> but still exposed to sun and wind and a little rain). The wife put a
> piece of cloth in the middle of the table with some ornaments on top
> of the cloth. A week later I wanted to put some surface protector on
> the table top and removed the cloth and the wood under the cloth was
> darker than the rest of the table. I assume now would not be a good

i would put the cloth and ornaments back and act like it never happened

then make some ice cold lemonade and enjoy the new table

"Steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
For the record, I also agree with the posters who said that aged teak looks
nice-- my assumption is that you're trying to preserve what you see 'now'.

Furthermore, the poster (sorry, I'm on my cell) who noted that the UV will
get it either way is also dead on-- doesn't matter whether it's teak or PT-
at the end of the day there's no transparent coat that can stop the graying.

I have some rope stropped blocks that I made almost years ago. They are
teak. They were finished with linseed oil. They are still teak color, not
grey.

Two things change the color of wood. The first is light...some woods will
darken, others get lighter. The second is oxidation; i.e., exposure to air.
That is what turns it grey; seal off air and it won't oxidize.

Regarding teak decks, IMO their value lies in the way teak oxidizes to a
rough surface. Rough surface=less slippery. No idea why battleships had
teak decks as they used to be holy stoned to maintain the wood color. They
were laid over the structural deck which was steel.

"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I have some rope stropped blocks that I made almost years ago.

I have some rope stropped blocks that I made almost 50 years ago.

On 10/22/2017 1:50 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I bought a new teak outdoor table and left it outside (under cover but still exposed to sun and wind and a little rain). The wife put a piece of cloth in the middle of the table with some ornaments on top of the cloth. A week later I wanted to put some surface protector on the table top and removed the cloth and the wood under the cloth was darker than the rest of the table. I assume now would not be a good time to apply the wood protector, what do you recommend? If I leave it a bit longer will it change color to be the same as the rest of the table, or do I need to do something, eg. sand or wash it in order to make it the same color as the rest of the table?
>
> Thanks,
> Rob.
>


Faded, Resand the surface.