How should I refinish an old teak chair?

August 10, 2014 4:16 PM

I found a nice old Danish rocker free on Craigslist (just the frame). It's very weathered and dusty, but a nice shape. How can I clean it, and what else should I do to restore the finish? Ideally, I'd like the most environmentally-friendly, least smelly options for cleaning or polishing. I'm afraid there is also a spot or two of mold in the wood; what's the best way to safely get rid of that?
posted by three_red_balloons to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Light sanding and refinishing with linseed oil is the usual recommendation for teak. This is a nice tutorial from The Brick House.
posted by goggie at 4:58 PM on August 10, 2014

I like Teak Oil, which you can get at a Danish furniture store, or Home Depot. It's just better on teak.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:34 PM on August 10, 2014

I'd suggest using fine grade steel wool rather than sandpaper, and I'd use pure tung oil as a finish. I've just done that on some finish work on a boat I'm making, and tung oil gives a beautiful nontoxic protective coat which brings out the wood's beauty very nicely. The only downside is the time it takes: each coat of tung oil needs to rest for 24 hours or more before it's ready for the next.
posted by anadem at 10:02 PM on August 10, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks! Does anyone happen to know anything about mold in wood specifically? I read something that made it sound like sanding mold is so dangerous only a professional should do it, but assuming it only looks like a tiny bit of mold and I wear a mask (and I don't think I'm allergic to it or anything), should I be fine?
posted by three_red_balloons at 12:39 PM on August 11, 2014