Teak is a highly sought after wood exotic wood, but it can be rather expensive. But people buy it all the same, and use it for all manner of things, including for furniture, decking and indoor flooring.
Teak wood is only found in tropical locations, with contrasting dry and wet seasons, which makes it somewhat of a rare find.
But the flip side to using such exotic hard to get hold of wood is that you really have to work to properly maintain it and keep it in the same condition as when you bought it.
This means cleaning it on a regular, if not frequent, basis. And avoid walking on it with any heavy or pointed footwear, including the likes of high heel stilettos, cleats and boots with steel cap toes.
And of course, it also means that any spills should be swiftly cleaned up, so that the properties of any drinks or foods don’t get absorbed into the wood and damage or stain it. If you have a kids room to consider, we have a separate article for you here.
Another great tip is to use rugs, or at least a welcome mat, on entry to a property in order to catch the majority of any dirt and grime that you bring in with you from outside.
You should also try to use furniture pads under the legs of all the furniture in the room. This becomes especially important when you need to move the furniture in order to clean underneath. You don’t want to risk scratching your teak wood flooring.
We would also recommend that you keep an eye on the humidity of the room/s that feature teak flooring, and maintain the wood’s moisture levels for optimum upkeep.
And while you don’t necessarily need to keep the teak floor polished (can you imagine – people would be slipping and sliding all over the place!) If you would like to see the wood polished you can do so, especially if you want to get back some of the teak wood’s natural color.
But you should not let any of these tips dissuade you from going for teak flooring. It’s actually one of the toughest and most durable woods out there, with a significant level of impact resistance. It’s just scratching that you need to watch out for.
How Do You Clean Teak Floors?
For basic day-to-day cleaning, you can get away with using simple mopping techniques that you would with other wooden floors.
And of course, you can vacuum. But if you do vacuum, you should use a vacuum cleaner with a soft bristle brush so that you don’t risk damaging the floor. Cylinder vacuums tend to work best.
And if you intend to sweep the floor, rather than vacuum before you get out the mop, then you must again ensure that you use a soft bristle sweeping brush that will be gentle on your teak flooring.
But, every so often, we strongly recommend that you invest in a dedicated wood cleaner, instead of just the usual soap and water. Such dedicated wood cleaners are always readily available with all the good online retailers, and are very affordable.
This is very easy to do. You simply mop the teak floor with the dedicated teak cleaner in place of your usual soap and water.
Such dedicated teak cleaners can really revive the color of old, weathered teak wood. And you can even get teak cleaners that are specially designed to kill any mold and mildew that might be present there.
If you have a sufficiently small area to clean, it would be better for you to scrub the floor rather than to mop. To do this, simply dip a scrubbing brush into the teak cleaner, and scrub the surface of the wood to loosen any dirt and grime. Then, you can simply wipe it over with a lint-free cloth.
As you use the dedicated cleaning solution, the gray and weathered look of the wood will dissipate. And then you can simply rinse the teak flooring in order to remove any excess teak cleaner solution that might still be present.
If your teak flooring is on an outdoor deck, you can help to extend the life of your deck by rinsing gently with a garden hose after applying the dedicated teak wood cleaner.
How Do You Restore Teak Wood Floors?
We’re pleased to report that teak wood floors can be restored by following a few simple steps and with a little elbow grease. Here’s how…
Step one – Vacuum
Begin by vacuuming your flooring, preferably with a soft bristled vacuum. It is important that you vacuum rather than sweep, because this gets all the dust, dirt and debris out of all those nooks and crannies.
Step two – Sand
Then, use a hand power sander to sand down the floor. The important thing to remember here is to go with the grain of the wood rather than against it. Start with heavy grit sandpaper, such as 36 grit, and sand down the entire floor, using straight even strokes. Then you will need to repeat this with 60 grit sandpaper, then with 80 grit, and finally with 100 grit.
Step three – Vacuum
Clean up all the dust from the sanding. You should use a vacuum with a soft bristle brush to avoid any unnecessary scratching or gouging etc. Then sweep with a soft bristle broom, before going over it with a damp cloth.
Step four – Stain
At this point, you are in a position to apply a stain if you so wish. If you do, remember to let it completely dry before each new coating.
Step five – Finish
When you have completed all the previous steps, you can now apply some sealer. This will help to protect the teak floor against general wear and tear, and also protect it from accidental spills as well.
Note – some stains have sealer included, but some don’t.
Wrap Up
Teak flooring is a worthy investment. Sure, it takes a little maintenance, but you won’t have to get on your hands and knees to scrub it very often. Just remember to avoid high heels and swiftly clean up any spills.