Unstained New Wood

• Unstained and unfinished wood furniture is readily available in every price range. But many times, the inferior or incorrect fabrication methods make a piece of new furniture less valuable than a used piece. In these instances, preparation of the new surface is just as essential as when refinishing a piece that is used. The new piece of wood furniture will have a lustrous natural finish when teak oil is correctly applied and sufficient cure time is allowed prior to use of the piece at all.
  
  

Unstained Old Wood

• While in the ground, live trees drink water. After being harvested and fabricated into furniture, the wood drinks oil. Old wood furniture that has never received any stain or oil will be ferociously "thirsty" because as wood ages it also dries. If the build-up of dirt, soil and grime is removed prior to the application of the teak oil, even though the piece will show signs of age, it will have a specific beautiful matte sheen which, with wood, can only be achieved through age.
  
  

Stripped Old Wood

• When old wood is stripped and the thinner dissolves the old lacquer, if the resulting solution is saved in a clean glass bowl or jar, the solution may be used as a pigment for the teak oil. Many times in restoring valuable pieces, even if they are not going to a museum, this is the preferred method. Adding the salvaged pigment to the teak oil helps maintain the integrity of the provenance or history of the piece. The pigmentation when the teak oil dries will be slightly less saturated than in the original.
  
  

Cure Time

• The finish on a piece of furniture sealed with teak oil will vary also according to the cure time, the season, the conditions inside the work room and the age of the piece of furniture. The teak oil should be allowed to cure between each application in a room without a current to ensure that the finish has no particles of lint or dust trapped under the dried oil. Humidity in the air in winter will cause the teak oil to require a longer cure time. However, sometimes as the oil begins to dry in the initial stages, tiny bubbles will appear and will remain seen even after the curing time is finished, unless they are rubbed out immediately. If the method of application is one of circular motion from a center point and the oil is patiently rubbed into the piece, the overall finish will be a pleasure to touch as well as to see.
  
  

Protection

• Teak oil provides optimal surface protection if it is allowed to cure at its own pace because one of the main ingredients is linseed oil. A slight variation in pigment saturation may be noticed if the piece of furniture has a veneer exterior in some places and solid wood in other places. The finish on a piece of furniture enjoys longevity for several generations, if several coats of teak oil are applied and each is allowed to cure before the next coat is applied.