FURNITURE CARE

Teak (Tectona) is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the family Verbenaceae. Teak has a high content of natural oils that makes it suitable for use in exposed locations, where it is durable even when not treated with oils.

Its popularity has led to the growth in sustainable production throughout the seasonally dry tropics in forestry plantations. All Jo Alexander teak is produced from these sustainable forestry plantations.

Teak cut from old trees from ancient forests is harder and more durable than plantation teak. However kiln drying allows for plantation grown teak to perform almost on par with old growth teak. Because of the density and durability of the timber your furniture will withstand a great deal of use and last for many years.

Jo Alexander furniture arrives fine sanded. The untreated timber is a very pleasant yellowy-brown olive colour when still fresh.

Whilst your furniture is new and settling into life outdoors in the sun and the rain, it will be normal for fine hairline cracks or subtle oil markings to appear in the wood. Wood is obviously a natural material which expands and contracts with the changes in the weather - consequently, cracks or marks can appear and disappear with time. This will not affect the life of your furniture.

When purchasing Jo Alexander Teak Garden Furniture there are two main care options:-

Option One

Leave the furniture untreated to age naturally. The effects of the suns rays will bleach out the timbers natural colour, gradually turning it a soft silvery grey colour. This silver grey ‘patina’ which develops over time gives teak furniture a distinctive appearance. The silver grey colour resulting from this natural ageing process is considered to be very attractive, and allows the furniture to blend in well with any outdoor environment. Teak Cleaner will be required periodically to clean and restore your teak garden furniture.

Option Two

On purchasing, treat with Teak Protector which maintains the golden brown colour of the teak for a long time. (We recommend that you always test the Protector underneath the furniture to ensure that you are happy with the result that it will give you).

Some additional points to note:-

• When we have extensive wet weather conditions in the UK with more rainfall than usual, garden furniture does not get a chance to dry out. Mildew may, therefore, form, so treating with Teak Cleaner will help with this.
• We do not recommend the use of high pressure hoses as this may "chip out" small pieces of teak wood. We also do not recommend the use of steel wool or steel wire brushes. These can cause grooves to be formed along the grain of the wood during brushing and secondly can cause rust marks in the grain of the wood from steel residues.
• You could also clean your furniture with some warm mild soapy water and a soft bristled brush. Wash down afterwards with clean water.
• If the furniture has some stubborn and heavily ingrained stains, these can be removed by sanding with a fine grade of sandpaper, being sure to work only with the direction of the timber grain. After sanding stains away like this, if the furniture was previously treated with a water based teak protector, you may wish to reapply, or if it had previously been left natural, the fresh colour exposed by sanding will soon mellow in with the existing silver grey patina.

Please also note that our team is always ready and willing to help should you wish to call us for additional advice.

In order to protect your furniture in winter, (if not storing away in the dry) you may choose to use a furniture cover. These come in various forms including round/oval/rectangle set covers. We also have a two sizes of parasol covers.

If covering wooden teak furniture, we advise that you enable an air flow around and over the table top and chairs to prevent mould growing and to avoid water settling and penetrating through the cover.

It is not necessary to oil your furniture as all our A-grade teak holds its own natural oils. However, if you would like your furniture to remain the same colour as when it was purchased, a Teak Protector can be used to maintain the golden brown colour of the teak for a long time.

Low maintenance, high convenience.

If you are looking for a material which requires little to no maintenance, yet offers maximum resistance, you would do well to involve ceramic. The material preserves the natural look of the stone and offers top of the chart convenience.

Hygienic and stainproof surface, colourproof, UV-resistant, resistant to fire and high temperatures, resistant to scratches, resistant to chemical products and acids, resistant to wear and tear, Environment friendly, for indoor and outdoor use.

Cleaning with water and mild soap will do the trick!

We advise that you do not use abrasive cleaners or chemicals on the concrete. Wiping it over with a damp cloth and non-citric washing up liquid is generally recommended.

Acidic substances, such as vinegar or lemon juice, (and also hot tableware) could etch the surface of the concrete so the use of coasters and table mats under liquids will help protect the surface.

Concrete & resin concrete is porous and liquid can soak into the surface so ensure you wipe up any spillages immediately, but with regular waxing (approximately every six weeks or more if desired, using our Concrete Wax) this will help to keep your table sealed.

We recommend the use of a furniture cover all year round which will help to protect your garden furniture. The Turin table top is made from a fibre glass resin mix which will naturally create a certain amount of flex on the table top - this is particularly important in a table of this length to ensure longevity of the table and to prevent any imperfections occuring. Pooling of rain water will naturally occur on this table as there are no drain holes or slatting.

Furniture covers should be raised off the table top to ensure that air can circulate sufficiently and should not have a PVC backing to them. In extreme weather conditions (scorching heat or snow/frost) the cover should not touch the top of the table or you may find it will stick to the concrete and leave marks.

For maintaining your rope furniture, we recommend using a fabric and upholstery protector to give optimal stain resistance.

To clean spots on the rope, we suggest applying a mist of soapy water with a spray bottle and then work the solution into the rope with a soft cloth by patting or rubbing lightly. Rinse the solution thoroughly and then blot excess moisture from the rope using a soft cloth and allow air-drying.

Never use a high-pressure hose on acrylic rope.

To remove small marks and dirt simply use warm water and a clean cloth. Do not use cleaners containing chlorine. Stainless steel cleaner can be used to maintain or restore the polished look.

When cleaning it is important to use a non-foaming cleaner on woven furniture, as a foaming product will leave residues in the gaps in-between the weave which will then attract dirt. A pressure hose on a low setting is acceptable to use on wicker furniture.

We recommend wiping up any spillages with a paper towel and using a glass surface spray or mild soap and water for daily cleaning. Do not use bleach products as this reacts strongly with zinc and will leave marks.

Light scratches and streaking can be brushed out using a household scouring pad. Deeper scratches may be sanded out using sandpaper (grades 150 to 220) and buffed with a scouring pad – brush in circular movements to recreate the original finish.

For white marks or rings, scrub the countertop lightly with diluted vinegar using a scouring pad and rinse with water.