Teak and Weak Joints

Taylor Souter
May 30, 2015
3 min read

It's refreshing when a job allows us to work with raw lumber rather than building a piece that will eventually be painted, which seems to be a common tendency today.

We are fortunate enough to have been asked to build three custom bathroom vanities for a lake house renovation. One in Teak, another in Butternut, and the last in figured Maple; all three to be left to unsullied by pigment.

Teak being a very sought after and expensive species, our room for error was practically naught, otherwise a costly trip back to the lumber yard would reluctantly be needed. This design called for a 2.5" thick counter top, leg, and shelf, and being that it is absurdly expensive to obtain Teak that thick, we resorted to mitering the panel into the face to give the impression of the desired thickness.

This wood being naturally oily, which is one of the reasons it is desirable for outdoor use and boat building, causes problems when attempting to glue together. The oil does not allow the glue to 'bite' into the wood, resulting in a weak joint which can easily be broken by accidental knocks. In order to overcome this obstacle one must wipe down the surfaces that are to be joined with lacquer thinner or some type of solvent in order to diminish the presence of oil. After that is said and done, glue up can continue as normal. We chose to place a spline through these miters to obtain a little extra adhesive surface area.

One other caveat of working with Teak is that it is photosensitive. When this wood is freshly surfaced, the grain can sometimes have streaky and blotchy patches which can be borderline hideous and gut wrenching after you have spent upwards of $30 a board foot. After researching on the internet, and much to our relief, we discovered that Teak is highly sensitive to UV light, darkening the more it is exposed to the sun. A day bathing outside can turn even the most divergent board into the uniform golden brown one is accustomed to.After the panels have 'aged' we will size them up for assembly and give them a thorough inspection and a quick sanding to ensure no blemishes are present. Once put together, we sand the joining faces flush and we can now begin the finishing process.

Teak is historically coated with marine oil since it accentuates the natural tones and is relatively easy to refinish, and that is exactly what we chose to do. Using oil is one way to get an almost perfect surface free from dust, runs, and drips. Although, such ideal results rarely come without a price; that expense being a very labor intensive process. After three coats of oil are applied and the last wiped off and allowed to dry over night we are almost ready for the final product. The last step will be to use a polishing compound to remove all the dust and grit that the oil accumulates while it dries. We chose to use a mixture Rottenstone and Mineral Oil applied with steel wool. After buffing the wood, wiping down, applying dry Rottenstone, scouring once again with the stone/oil mixture and wiping away the excess we are left with a flawless, low sheen, and smooth surface.

Images will be updated once units are installed and all plumbing and fixtures have been added. We have two other vanities going along with this one, so more updates are soon to come.