Teak: is renowned for being the worlds best wood for outdoor furniture because of it’s high oil content. It will weather to a beautiful silver grey colour and last for many years. During the first 12 months of weathering you may find that the grain lifts slightly, and that small cracks may appear on the end grains. Please rest assured this will not affect the structure of your furniture and that the grain lifting will subside over time. You can remove this effect by rubbing down the wood using some fine sand paper during the initial weathering. Garden Furniture England recommends leaving furniture to weather naturally to an elegant silver grey. If you would like to treat your wood, then there are various teak oils and water based treatments on the market which can be applied. It is important to understand that nearly all these treatments must be reapplied as a continuous routine every 6 months approximately. For a longer term treatment we recommend the use of a marine varnish. Before using these treatments we recommend that you seek detailed advice from the appropriate manufacturer.