When my first child had an accident at home, I realised we hadn't childproofed the house as well as we could have. Thankfully, they were fine, but I learned my lesson and began a thorough inspection of my home and garden. I got to work addressing the various hazards we had overlooked, and I started this blog to help other parents think objectively about the hazards in their own homes. I post about a variety of topics, such as pool safety, choosing a safe garden fence, storing medication and cleaning products, window and door locks and kitchen safety for kids. I hope you find my blog useful and informative.
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Childproofing Your Home And Garden
How to Make Your Own Teak Oil
Ana Gonzales
Many furniture experts recommend that you treat your teak furniture with teak oil to protect it from sunlight and moisture. Most teak oil products contain a mixture of oil, solvents and resin, which combine to create a wood treatment of the right consistency to deeply penetrate into the wood. You can make your own teak oil from simple, inexpensive ingredients to protect your teak furniture from harm.
Choose an Oil Base
Many teak oil products contain tung oil, a natural oil that is squeezed from the nuts of the Chinese tung tree. You can use pure tung oil to treat your teak furniture, but it's not as easy to apply or as durable as teak oil, which combines oil with varnish and solvents to improve its consistency.
If you prefer, you can use linseed oil as the base for your homemade teak oil. Linseed oil produces a very rich colour when applied to teak furniture. Both linseed and tung oil are available to buy in many hardware stores.
Choose a Solvent
Many teak oil products contain mineral spirits, which are sometimes sold as paint thinner. Alternatively, you can use naphtha as the solvent in your teak oil, which has the advantage of producing a wood finish that dries very quickly.
Choose a Varnish
Adding varnish to your teak oil makes it shinier and increases its durability. Polyurethane varnish, which you can buy from a hardware store, is a suitable choice for treating teak furniture.
Make Your Teak Oil
Begin by pouring your tung or linseed oil into a large container. Add an equal amount of solvent and mix well to create a thin, runny oil that you can easily spread with a paintbrush. Measure out the same volume of varnish as you used for the other ingredients and mix it into the teak oil to give your homemade wood treatment some body and shine.
Test Your Teak Oil
Before applying your homemade teak oil all over your precious teak furniture, test it on a scrap piece of wood to check that it is easy to apply and has the rich color you want. If the mixture is too thin, add more varnish. If it is too thick, add more oil. To make it easier to spread, add more solvent. If you don't have any scrap wood, test the teak oil on an inconspicuous part of the furniture, such as the underside of a table or chair seat.
For more information on teak oil and teak furniture, contact a company like The Teak Place.
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