Give your teak furniture a new look – here are the steps

Design: 19Sixtyseven

Many solid and sound wooden furniture pieces can be given a new look just by changing the colour of their wood.

“We strip the piece down to a natural finish or do a paint finish,” says David Ditcham of Barossa Furnishings, who receives many requests to revamp vintage wooden furniture.

To re-stain the piece, he sands it down to its natural timber shade using various grades of sandpaper; this is done using both electric sanders and by hand. Then, he applies the desired stain using a soft cloth, lets the piece dry, and applies up to five coats of varnish on top of the new stain. According to David, painting teak furniture is difficult work, as teak “has naturally high levels of oil, and lighter paint tones do not take well”. 

Opt for darker colours; the first step is the same: Strip existing varnish through sanding or use a paint stripper for very thick varnish. Apply paint primer and allow to dry. Spray on one coat of paint, dry and sand lightly before applying the second coat.