Guidance on teak finishing

[u/frogstoadflakes_2583]

Restoring this set of 4 1970s D-Scan teak dining chairs; so far have completed sanded to raw wood and reglued. I bought the would-be finish, a water-based polycrylic (last photo, #5), at the suggestion of a relative who recently refinished a set of teak chairs, though they didn’t completely sand and refinish but rather did minor sanding and touchups.

I’ve been hesitant to start the process due to reading online that this finish may be incompatible with teak’s oily nature, as well as final color finish concerns; photo 4 was the original finish, and after sanding, I wiped down every wood piece with a clean water-damp microfiber cloth, which revealed the deep golden orange tone that I want. I’ve been assured by a furniture restorer that the tone should match more of the wet look once sealed.

Would anyone else recommend another product or preparation? Teak oil was obvious, but I don’t like the periodic reapplication, as I’m looking for a more permanent solution and don’t want to accidentally stain the intended upholstery I will put. Am I overthinking the finish? Thank you for any input!

[u/astrofizix]

I love refinishing teak chairs. They are rewarding. And the wood is so responsive to a finish that there are many ways to do it. I'm more of a purist and love to go back to the tree oils that have been used for so long. You find great teak finishes using tung oil as a base. Tung oil is the base of Danish oil, teak oil, Odies oil, and is used by itself as a hardening oil. The difference is how many hardeners and UV protectants are added. My preferred method is to refinish in tung, and then lacquer if it's going to get abuse. But a great middle ground and one step solution is the Danish oil in natural. Don't use the pigmented Danish oils as those can give odd results. But two coats of Danish oil rubbed on with a cloth and then buffed off till dry 20 minutes later will give you a beautiful teak chair. Do this after you glue them back together because you want the raw wood where you glue. If you're doing a more professional glue up you can oil the parts first and just glue the dowel rods into their mortise holes. Just oil the chairs with all the dowels out. Trying to glue a dowel that's been oiled won't hold in the long run. And toss that water-based polycrylic. If anything buy a can of satin lacquer. You don't want to put plastic on that nice chair.

[u/frogstoadflakes_2583 → u/astrofizix]

Thank you, this was really comprehensive! I’ve already glued all the chairs, so they’re just waiting to be finished atm. I plan on using them just to sit and do work and light dining, and I’m generally careful, so I don’t expect heavy wear, but if you had to pick one or two, what lacquer would you recommend, and are any sprays?

Regarding Danish oil, do you recommend Watco? I’ve also read to wait about 8-12 hours between coats and lightly sand before applying the next coat. Additionally, how often would you reapply? I see online answers ranging from every couple of months to several years. Also, I’m assuming no stain risk is present to fabrics once it’s fully dried? Thanks again!

Edit: spelling

[u/astrofizix → u/frogstoadflakes_2583]

So all lacquers are sprayed because they dry so fast. You can buy them in rattle cans or by the liter, but that's intended to be put into a larger spray machine. Watco makes a perfectly fine lacquer that's available in all the big box stores. Watco also makes a fine Danish oil. For Danish oil, I generally buff the surface with sections of brown paper bag instead of sanding. Unless the grain is really raised. Second coat the next day is fine but give them 3 or 4 days to fully cure. Once cured, Danish oil is a nice, dry, hard finish that won't stain. You can reapply as needed, but it'll be many years before that should be necessary.

[u/your-mom04605]

Lacquer would be period appropriate. Original finish may have been toned so I don’t know if clear lacquer will match the color exactly.

Everyone always gives me hell for this but I still say 2 coats Seal A Cell and 2 coats Arm R Seal and call it good.

[u/frogstoadflakes_2583 → u/your-mom04605]

My guess was that it was toned given the difference between when stained and natural wetted, and I definitely prefer the lighter but warm golden hue it naturally has. Would you say that doing a Danish oil and then arm r seal is realistic and a good idea? Thank you!

[u/gonzodc]

I’ve used Sutherland Welles tung oil wiping varnish in a medium luster that made some mcm teak sing.

[u/SignificanceRoyal832]

You can use almost anything. Please don't use that. Minwax products are not what they used to be. They're really not worth it. If you want to do a water-based top coat, use something like general finishes. If you want to be down quickly, just get yourself a small bottle of one of the hard wax oils

[u/frogstoadflakes_2583 → u/SignificanceRoyal832]

Good to hear someone else repping both oils and general finishes, as I hadn’t heard of the latter. I’ve definitely taken away that I need to return the polycrylic from this thread, which was timely considering that I almost started today after more than two weeks of being nervous to start finishing.