Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/21/2008

Question
i have some teak cabinets that have been oiled. the wood grain is nice but the
color is definitely orange-ish. How do I get the finish to look more like the
natural unoiled teak that I like. I am not too worried about protection and would
have preferred they not be oiled in the first place. can you offer any advice?
thanks.

Answer
Hi Craig
Nice to hear from you.
I agree. This wood should not look orange.
Unfortunately you will need paint stripper to remove this oil.
Then I would stain. Nothing else if you do not want to oil again.
Minwax stain states on the label "stains penetrates and seals" and it will do just that on your teak so the wood will be somewhat protected.
You will need to do a bit of stain color sampling to get the nice color you want.
All of this is very much do-able but will take a bit of time.
But its an easy stripping job.
Good Luck
Eileen