Seat Material Properties
Every piece of teak Gloster uses originates from plantations. About 80% of this is from government owned plantations on the Indonesian island of Java and the balance from FSC certified plantations outside Indonesia. Contrary to popular belief, teak furniture does not require any special maintenance routine or any additional protection apart from occasional cleaning. Left to age naturally outside, teak will gradually change to a soft, silver-grey as the pigments in the surface layer of the wood begin to fade away. We recommend that you allow your teak furniture to weather naturally this way and simply clean thoroughly once or twice a year with Gloster Teak & Upholstery Cleaner.

Teak furniture may also benefit from an occasional light sanding to remove any raised grain and restore a smooth finish to the surface. Under no circumstances should a power washer be used to clean teak furniture.

If you wish to retain the golden-brown color of new teak we also offer Gloster Teak Sealer. Application of Teak Sealer will not affect the strength or longevity of the furniture in any way, just its appearance. If you elect to use Teak Sealer you will be embarking on a regular maintenance programmed as Teak Sealer needs to be regularly re-applied to provide continuous protection.

If you intend to store your furniture over the winter, we recommend that you do so in a water-tight garden shed or garage. However, we advise that you do not move teak furniture from the garden straight into a heated indoor room for storage, as the sharp differences in temperature and humidity may cause the wood to split.

To protect teak surfaces from staining and to help maintain the silver-grey patina on weathered teak, we recommend using Gloster Teak & Upholstery Stain Protector. Gloster Teak Protector creates an almost invisible shield which helps to prevent food (coffee, ketchup, red wine, olive oil, etc.) penetrating into the teak and causing unsightly stains. Teak Protector also helps protects the wood against the ingress of moisture, the adhesion of dirt and prevents mildew growth.

Cleaning
Gloster Teak & Upholstery Cleaner - 25oz / 750ml plastic bottle with trigger-action head. Water-based formula - both non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Cleans and brightens weathered teak in one, simple step. Each bottle is supplied complete with a special applicator pad. Teak is a beautiful golden brown, close- grained hardwood with a high natural oil content. Exceptionally hard wearing, highly resistant to rotting and almost impervious to the effects of sun, rain, frost or snow, teak is the first choice timber for outdoor furniture. It is recommended that you clean teak furniture thoroughly once or twice a year.

Protecting
Gloster Teak & Upholstery Stain Protector - 33oz / 1 liter plastic bottle. Water-based formula - both non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Special formula repels water and moisture. Helps prevent stains from food and drinks. Use on weathered teak to retain the silver-grey patina. Each bottle is supplied complete with a special applicator cloth. It is recommended that you treat your teak furniture with Teak Protector at least once every year. Tabletops should be treated more often.

Sealing
Gloster Teak Sealer - 25oz / 750ml plastic bottle with trigger-action head. Water-based formula - both non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Cleans and brightens weathered teak in one, simple step. Each bottle is supplied complete with a special applicator pad. It is recommended that you treat your furniture with Teak Sealer at least once a year.

Bottom Frame Material Properties - Standard Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is the generic name for a number of different steels used primarily for their resistance to corrosion. The one key element they all share is a certain minimum percentage of chromium of 10.5%. Although other elements, particularly nickel and molybdenum, are added to improve corrosion resistance, chromium is always the deciding factor. However, despite its various additions stainless steel still behaves as steel and even the highly alloyed stainless steel grades such as 316 still contain a minimum of 62% iron.

Gloster manufactures using 304 grade stainless steel with a fine brushed finish - the industry standard for outdoor products. However, as with any item left permanently outside, stainless steel furniture requires regular maintenance to keep it looking as new. Before the furniture leaves our factory the welds are ground flush and the surface is polished with Scotchbrite, usually in the long direction of the legs or rails. This provides a smooth, resistant surface that is easy to clean and maintain.

Although stainless steel is generally resistant to corrosion, the surface is susceptible to cosmetic deterioration by the effects of salt water and air-borne chemicals and this may result in small brown spots appearing on its surface (this process is likely to be accelerated in coastal areas). These spots in no way affect the strength, integrity or longevity of the furniture, they are simply superficial discolorations that require cleaning to restore the stainless steel to its original appearance.

Material Properties - EP Finish Stainless Steel
Gloster's electropolished (EP) finish is offered as a premium alternative to our standard brushed finish or for furniture used in coastal environments.

Electropolishing is widely used in the electronics, food and medical industries and on components for cruise ships and yachts, where a corrosion resistant, smooth and easy to maintain surface is of vital importance. Electropolishing is an electrochemical process whereby the combination of an electrical current and a strong acid erodes the surface of the stainless steel substrate atom by atom. This process removes much of the iron from the surface of the steel, but leaves the chrome intact, resulting in more shiny, but much improved corrosion resistant surface.

Cleaning - EP Finish Stainless Steel
Despite EP stainless steel being largely resistant to corrosion, in time brown spots may still appear on the stainless steel surface. These deposits can be removed using Gloster's Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polisher, which cleans and restores the new look of EP stainless steel furniture and makes the surface repellent to both dirt and water.

With all our standard and EP finish stainless steel products we include a Scotchbrite pad. If any brown spots appear on the stainless steel they can be easily cleaned by gently rubbing the surface of the steel, in the direction of the brushed finish, with the Scotchbrite pad. We advise that EP finish items are not rubbed excessively in this way as there is a risk of removing the EP finish.