If you are looking to buy teak patio furniture, you may be wondering if you can leave the furniture out in the rain or if you need to worry about it getting wet.Â
After all, you may have witnessed how some woods can warp, rot, or decay when exposed to rain and wet conditions.Â
Will this happen with teak wood patio furniture too?
Read on below to find out!
When you are done reading below, come back and check out:
👉 Tips for buying teak patio furniture
👉 Find out how teak compares to Acacia wood patio furniture (spoiler: Teak is better)
Can teak wood patio furniture get wet and be left out in the rain?
Simple answer: Yes, teak patio furniture can get wet! Grade A teak is highly water resistant, and it can be left out in the rain with little worry about the wood being ruined.
Teak is a type of hardwood known for its high density and high durability. What makes teak highly water resistant is the high natural oil content of the wood.Â
The natural oils of teak act as a barrier to moisture taking hold in the wood and causing it to shrink, swell, decay, or dry out. This high natural water resistance of teak can last for many decades, and it is a key reason this hardwood has been a very popular material in marine applications like ship and boat building for many centuries.
Here’s what Frontgate says about its teak furniture and its water-resistant properties:
Teak is a durable, dense, coarse, close-grained hardwood ideal for patio furniture. It contains high levels of resinous oils that make it naturally resistant to moisture, repellent to insects and impervious to drying. Teak also contains silica, a sand-like component that makes it resistant to fungal decay, water, rotting, warping, shrinking and swelling.
Is teak patio furniture waterproof?
Waterproof means that something is completely impervious to water. This means that water will never penetrate it.Â
This is not the case with teak.
Teak is highly water-resistant, not waterproof, meaning that it will resist being penetrated by water to a certain degree. Teak has a unique characteristic in being able to resist moisture penetration in most backyard conditions over a long period of time.
However, there are some instances in which moisture may affect teak wood patio furniture.Â
Neighbor highlights an example of this scenario in its FAQ about its teak furniture:
Should you see any signs of mold/mildew, these spots can be cleaned and should not be considered a defect. Black spots being present on the product after being exposed to the outdoor environment are simply a result of humidity build-up in the wood and are natural mold spores.
Does all teak wood resist water the same?
There are three types of teak wood: Grade A, B, and C.
Grade A teak is the best type of teak wood because it has higher oil content and density, thus higher high durability and weather resistance properties, compared to B and C grades of teak. You will find that most high-quality furniture brands use grade A teak, and this type of teak will be highly water resistant.Â
On the other hand, grades B and C teak wood have lower natural oil contents and densities, resulting in lower water resistance.Â
When buying teak wood patio furniture, make sure you are buying grade A teak. If the grade is not explicitly stated, reach out to customer service for more information.
Does teak patio furniture require maintenance to keep its water resistance?
If you want, you could leave grade A teak untreated for many years, and it will maintain its high water resistance.Â
Over time the color of teak furniture will turn from a golden brown color to a light, silver-gray color. This is a natural change in color and does not indicate a loss in weather resistance. If you want, you can treat your teak furniture with special teak oil to maintain its golden brown color.Â
Here is what Outer says about maintenance for its teak furniture:
It’s a good idea to give teak a light cleaning at the end of the season, but no regular maintenance routine is required. If left unmaintained, teak will naturally develop an attractive silver-gray patina.
For deeper cleaning or to restore the color back to the original golden tone, you can use teak cleaner such as Star Brite’s Teak Cleaner and Losso’s Teak cleaner. Follow the directions provided by the manufacturer for best practices.
To finish, you can apply teak oil to your furniture which helps keep the grain from cracking and give the material a nice sheen.
