Teak wood has a golden honey color when new, but after time it naturally fades into a light gray patina. This color change is only cosmetic and does not affect the strength of the wood. But if you prefer the golden color there are a couple things you can do to slow down the aging process.

Most teak furniture manufacturers recommend not using teak oil - we definitely agree! The wood’s natural oil is sufficient to protect it from damage. Teak oil is not actually the same as the natural oil found in the teak tree. It is just called “teak oil” for marketing purposes & is actually not good for the integrity of the wood.

We recommend instead to use a treatment with teak sealer such as Semco Teak Sealer if you'd like to maintain the natural honey colour.  This is only needed once a year in order to effectively protect teak wood from color fade. And if later you decide to let the furniture fade naturally to grey, teak sealer treatments can simply be discontinued. After not applying sealer for a while, the wood will simply begin to age as before.

Since teak sealer is more effective at preserving the color of teak wood, and it only requires a few hours of your time each year to apply, it is recommended over teak oil.

Cleaning Teak