Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

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Caduceus
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Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Caduceus »

So, I inherited a wooden item that's made up of pure teak wood, according to the original 93-year old maker, whom I tracked down after a while. But it's all black. He says it's not painted and that it just "turns black naturally with time because of the oils." So apparently that was not its original color.

But i've been reading online articles and people say black means the wood is moldy.

I'm curious if there are furniture lovers/woodworkers here who know if really old teak actually turns black? It's black all over, and not in patches. It's like it was painted black. I've never seen black teak.
Teague
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Teague »

My only personal experiences with teak wood were in outdoors applications. In neither case was the wood black but rather a very nice gray.

1. A ladder deck at the stern of a small boat. It was never maintained, and was not black.

2. Also a boat application. Umm, ship, that is. The Battleship USS Missouri, BB-63, the Mighty Mo, while it was still in service. I was present for a change of command ceremony. The deck was teak, scrupulously maintained of course, and also not black.
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HomeStretch
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by HomeStretch »

My experience is that unsealed teakwood turns gray as it ages. The wood can darken if oil, wood enhancer or polish is used on the wood or if the wood is stained by water, mold or by design.

Try lightly hand sanding in an inconspicuous spot to see if you can restore the wood to its original color. This works only if the dark is on the wood’s surface. Sometimes staining is uneven and you might be able to restore only a portion of the piece’s exterior resulting in a patchy look.
leftcoaster
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by leftcoaster »

Probably water stains. There are commercial teak cleaners. You can also try bleach or stronger acid cleaners.
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lthenderson
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by lthenderson »

Caduceus wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:38 am He says it's not painted and that it just "turns black naturally with time because of the oils." So apparently that was not its original color.

But i've been reading online articles and people say black means the wood is moldy.
As others mentioned, teak naturally turns gray with time. But was he referring to the natural oil in teak or additional coats of other oils applied? If the latter, I could see a case where dirt gets encased in a new layer of applied oil and repeated enough times might take on a black hue, especially on darker wood to start with. You might be able to tell more by finding an inconspicuous spot and scratching down to bare wood.
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Watty
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Watty »

Caduceus wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:38 am He says it's not painted and that it just "turns black naturally with time because of the oils."
I am not an expert woodworking, and even less in wood finishing, and I have never worked with teak but one way to finish wood is with different types of oils. For example I have used food grade vegetable oil to finish things like cutting boards to bring out the color and the grain.

It has been a long time since I used it but using oils like linseed oil can be used to finish wood and that is sometimes called a French Polish.

When he says "the oils" he may be referring to an oil finish that he originally used to finished it and not the natural oil in the wood or oil from peoples hands who have touched the wood.

If the piece is valuable or important to you then I would be reluctant to try to clean it up too much since that could be extremely difficult since any oil that was used to finish it likely penetrated into the wood so it could not be removed without a deep sanding. Even then the oil likely penetrated even deeper in any joints or cracks.
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lthenderson
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by lthenderson »

Watty wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:12 am
I am not an expert woodworking, and even less in wood finishing,

have used food grade vegetable oil to finish things like cutting boards to bring out the color and the grain.
FYI, you shouldn't use vegetable oil or really any food cooking oils on cutting boards because the oil eventually goes rancid and smells terrible. I personally use a mixture of food grade mineral oil (which will never go bad) and beeswax, microwaved until warm and thinned. Apply it thickly and keep moving it around to areas where it has been absorbed to keep wet. After 15 minutes or so, buff all the excess off.
pshonore
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by pshonore »

Watty wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:12 am
Caduceus wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 8:38 am He says it's not painted and that it just "turns black naturally with time because of the oils."
I am not an expert woodworking, and even less in wood finishing, and I have never worked with teak but one way to finish wood is with different types of oils. For example I have used food grade vegetable oil to finish things like cutting boards to bring out the color and the grain.

It has been a long time since I used it but using oils like linseed oil can be used to finish wood and that is sometimes called a French Polish.

When he says "the oils" he may be referring to an oil finish that he originally used to finished it and not the natural oil in the wood or oil from peoples hands who have touched the wood.

If the piece is valuable or important to you then I would be reluctant to try to clean it up too much since that could be extremely difficult since any oil that was used to finish it likely penetrated into the wood so it could not be removed without a deep sanding. Even then the oil likely penetrated even deeper in any joints or cracks.
Be aware there two kinds of linseed oil, "boiled" and raw. The raw version will take much longer to dry. French polish is usually used with shellac and a cotton pad and requires many light coats . Then we have Danish oil (Watco) as well as polymerized tung oil and plain old varnish if you can find it. And spar varnish for exterior use.
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Caduceus
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Caduceus »

When you guys say "gray," do you mean something like slate-gray, where if you don't look very closely you could actually mistake it as black? Or like a lighter-medium shade of gray, where it's impossible to mistake it as black?
HomeStretch
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by HomeStretch »

Weathered silvery gray which is light to medium tone in my experience. Do an internet search on “weathered teak” for images to see examples.
Last edited by HomeStretch on Tue Dec 07, 2021 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mr. Rumples
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

How old is old? My teak table was new in 1987, looks as good now as then, only used tung oil on it every few years when I think about it.
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Normchad
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Normchad »

I have an outdoor teak bench that is about 20 years old. It’s never been oiled or otherwise finished.

Over time, it gets great skier in some places, and black in others. I believe the black is mold or fungus.

Every 5 years or so, I mix up a 5 gallon bucket of Oxi-Clean and wash/scrub it. Then it looks like new again.
Teague
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Teague »

Caduceus wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 1:55 pm When you guys say "gray," do you mean something like slate-gray, where if you don't look very closely you could actually mistake it as black? Or like a lighter-medium shade of gray, where it's impossible to mistake it as black?
Lighter, impossible to mistake for black.
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Wricha
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Wricha »

lthenderson wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:18 am
Watty wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:12 am
I am not an expert woodworking, and even less in wood finishing,

have used food grade vegetable oil to finish things like cutting boards to bring out the color and the grain.
FYI, you shouldn't use vegetable oil or really any food cooking oils on cutting boards because the oil eventually goes rancid and smells terrible. I personally use a mixture of food grade mineral oil (which will never go bad) and beeswax, microwaved until warm and thinned. Apply it thickly and keep moving it around to areas where it has been absorbed to keep wet. After 15 minutes or so, buff all the excess off.
Good advice
Woodshark
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by Woodshark »

Naturally turn black? No, that's generally not the case. In the sunlight real teak will bleach out to a nice light gray. I don't think it's the wood that's discolored but the finish. It's very possible that the oils and resins in the finish applied to the teak have darkened with age. (most likely) That or someone applied a natural oil, like olive oil, and it has turned rancid with black mold. (least likely)
khunron
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by khunron »

My dad has teak dining and living room furniture that was purchased about 60 years ago and it's still the same original color. I've also had teak furniture that sat in non-climate controlled storage for 10 years and it came out the same color as it went in. If it's outdoors and not stained, then it will turn grey, as others have said. Turning black is NOT what teak wood is supposed to do..
mrc
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by mrc »

It's not the oils, it's the tannins plus iron plus water = black stains

Oak will turn black quickly when exposed to water

Oxalic acid can remove black stains, but may result in blotchy marks

The stains may go pretty deep

Dry old teak will turn an "old barn" grey
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mpnret
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by mpnret »

Common problem. Outdoor weathered teak turns black. It's due to the oils in the wood which mold and fungus feed on turning it black. But the oils also preserve the wood making it popular for marine use.
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sergeant
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by sergeant »

I use a power washer on low setting to clean the black mold off our teak furniture every other year.
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JackoC
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Re: Does teak wood that's very old turn black?

Post by JackoC »

Teague wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:40 am My only personal experiences with teak wood were in outdoors applications. In neither case was the wood black but rather a very nice gray.

1. A ladder deck at the stern of a small boat. It was never maintained, and was not black.

2. Also a boat application. Umm, ship, that is. The Battleship USS Missouri, BB-63, the Mighty Mo, while it was still in service. I was present for a change of command ceremony. The deck was teak, scrupulously maintained of course, and also not black.
Further in the vein of ships, the Royal Navy frigate Trincomalee of 1817, now a museum, was constructed mainly of teak in India, in contrast to the standard of oak for warships of that era. The ship is said to be around 2/3's original material (the somewhat older oak warships HMS Victory and USS Constitution are said to be around 15% original material), mostly *painted* black but exposed wood is not black.
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