Expert: Greg Scholl - 1/9/2010

Question
Hi!
I am currently living in Tanzania and have bought some hardwood (mninga teak) furniture. Since I want to take it back home with me I would like to know if there is any way I can prevent it from cracking. My friends have warned me that that is likely to happen if I donīt seal the wood properly. Iīve read aricles about sealing hardwood, but is it enough just to seal it, or should it be treated in any other way before that? And which metod should I use? The furniture I bought is not treated in any way. I would be so greatful for some advice!


Answer
Unfortunately a finish will have only minimal affect on whether the wood will crack, split, warp, etc. It has a lot more to do with whether the craftsmen who built it used properly seasoned wood when building it,and what environment you're bringing it back too, (ie: baseboard, forced hot air heat, etc.). Typically, Teak is finished with a penetrating oil finish, but again, if the wood is not properly dried to 8-12% moisture content before it's cut up and used to build furniture, any finish isn't going to prevent the drying out of the wood, so that's really the issue you're dealing with. Wood, and many other natural materials, will always try to equalize itself with the relative humidity of it's surroundings, and that's why environmental controls and so called "climate control" are so critical for museums, Librarys, Art galleries, etc. It's also critical for collectors of fine things in their own homes. Lack of, and fluctuations in, relative humidity in a given environment keep Restorers like me in business, and a lot of damage can occur in a relatively short period, if one doesn't monitor, pay attention to, and adjust for these variables in the given environment. Wish I could offer more to you, but without knowing the history, and conditions of the wood that was used, it's almost impossible to know what to expect. A penetrating oil finish is an easy finish to apply for the novice, and would offer some protection, but what you could find in Tanzania, I would have no clue...I like the Modified Tung oil/varnish called WaterLox, a resin and Tung oil based finish that penetrates the wood fibers and hardens from within. The "Original Sealer and Finish" product will produce a nice Satin, hand rubbed appearance with minimal work, I would think 3 coats with 24 hours drying in between each coat would be a good place to start.Read about it here. Hope that helps a little- regards- Greg
http://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodules/fathomecom/catalog/category.aspx?tabid=42...