Thanks! (I never knew white spirit was turpentine substitute
This is fascinating . When we were looking to renovate the surface of a brick floor, the builder recommended boiled linseed oil as it dried much faster - he had also used it on encaustic tiles.
“Jennings, what do bats do in the Winter?”
Linseed oil can be used to refresh sun faded black trim on cars too!
If you are considering painting them you need to sand any grey looking wood back to the original finish or whichever paint you decide to use will not not take or last longterm. Teak oil is a good finsh or an alternative is Tung Oil.
is that where the expression “give it a lick [of paint]” comes from? 
Hi Franz,
It’s best to use the real stuff when it comes to the turpentine. You’ll find it in the supermarket cleaning products section under the name of "Essence a la terebenthine’’.
Hello All
This is just to thank everyone for their helpful advice yesterday - lots of ideas to work on. (But I still don’t know what bats do in the Winter…!)
Treating exterior woodwork can sometimes take on the appearance of a religion and everyone has their beliefs. I was always a subscriber to the oiling sect but never really happy with the results - looks good for a short while (but is sticky to sit on for almost as long) and by the end of the season you are almost back to square one. Like many, I assumed this was the way it had to be.
Somehow I stumbled on some discussion of alternatives and decided to try something different this year, in the hope that I can break the chain. A little more effort first time round, but hopefully much easier going forwards and a better finish to boot. I was also convinced by the argument in some articles that oiling exotic woods like teak is actually damaging to the wood rather then restorative
First step is to use teak cleaner and renovator - I ordered Wessex products delivered from the UK and was amazed by the cleaner in particular - just wet the wood and then use diluted cleaner with a coarse sponge and the blackness and any crud just melt away. A quick hose over to rinse it off and it is almost good enough to give the coat, although the removator and a light sanding also benefit.
And then a few coats of a marine sealer - the most highly recommended is a US made brand called SEMCO which is also available online. Not cheap, but I reckon I will need very little in future to top up the seal maybe every 2 years.
Of course I didn’t read all of this until after I had coated my table with oil and getting it cleaned again afterwards is something of a task - in fact the table is still waiting in the sun for it to finally wash out - I will know that is done when light sandpaper doesn’t immediately gum up!
This all sounds an horrendous faff.
Perhaps next time consider buying cast aluminium furniture. We have now had 2 sets for more than 10 years and they still look like new.
Tricky to get good versions without the massive cost in France, but in UK these guys are excellent:
https://www.gardenfurnitureworld.co.uk/gardenfurnitureworld/hartman-cast-aluminium-furniture.asp
The turps is there to help the oil sink into the wood - it will stay absorbed in the wood and protect it. You add a bit more turps in the first coat, then less turps in the second coat.
I use oil a lot. It does make most wood look good, and it’s easy to use, easy to revive, and good protection. However, that furniture looks a bit grey - you could either use a stain first, or go for paint.
In my experience of marine teak varnishing it is the last thing you want to do. It looks beautiful to start with but because of the nature of the wood it never bonds properly and will soon start to flake and look awful. The great advantage of teak and other exotic hardwoods is that they do not need a protective coat, the oil is cosmetic.
Time will tell, David, but this is a sealant rather than a varnish and does appear to be different according to reviews and the reccomendation of teak furniture suppliers. You are right, of course, the natural oils in the teak itself will protect the structure of the wood and it is actually for that reason that oiling it is not recommended as I understand that it will result in a deterioration in the naturally occurring oil. Both approaches are purely cosmetic at the end of the day and what I am aiming for is something that does not discolour, which discourages or prevents algal growth and ideally sheds water so that the furniture can be used shortly after it has rained.
It sounds as though you’ve found a good product. The worst that will happen is that it might need redoing in a few years. 
You really should thin the linseed oil with turpentine. If you don’t, it takes an age to dry properly and can stay sticky for several days. The turps helps the oil soak into the wood. I did my decking with a 60/40 mix of oil/turps and it was dry in 24 hours. Also our many ants didn’t go near it.
Now I’ve read the rest of the thread, I see someone mentioned Siccatif, which I also used. I was advised not to use white spirit instead of turps and took the advice, even though white spirit is MUCH cheaper.
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Not only mentioned by posted a picture.
Hello Graham,
In your opinion, could one use the clear Sikkens on an oak front door. Or would that boat clear vanish/ paint be better?
Thank you, Fiona
I thought that marine varnish would be great for both my oak front door and my hardwood shutters. It was not. My house has all its windows and shutters on south facing walls and I underestimated the effect of exposure to the summer sun. One pair of shutters spends part of the day in the shadow of a barn and those shutters have lasted for years without attention. I removed the varnish from one door and repainted it with Tollens white paint. It was not cheap but it does seem to be up to the job.
Don’t see why not tbh. Is it a solid oak door?
You could ask here
Just to add, Vanessa’s parents used boat varnish on their wooden front door (being boat enthusiasts in sarfend) but he had to redo it frequently (she recalls) as was the case with their sailing dinghy. Vernis here tends to blister quite easily with the heat of the sun whereas the sikkens has shown no signs of that whatsoever.