On a well-made teak set, the timber is usually the last thing to fail. What fails is the fastener, the glue line, or the folding mechanism, and all three announce themselves months before anything breaks. Late summer, while the furniture is still out and still being used, is when they are easiest to catch. The wobble test Grip the back of each chair and push it side to side. Any movement at the joint means either the mortise-and-tenon has opened or the through-bolt has relaxed, and it is usually the bolt. Teak moves with the seasons. Hardware that was snug in a dry July is often loose by a damp October, which is normal, and is why the bolts are there in the first place. What is not normal is leaving it loose through the winter. A joint with a gap in it takes on water, and water in a joint that freezes and thaws all winter opens the gap further. Dark halos around bolts and screws A dark ring spreading out from a fastener is a chemical reaction, not dirt. Iron reacts with the tannins in the wood in the presence of moisture, and the resulting stain forms inside the pores rather than on the surface. Two things follow. First, the fastener is not marine-grade, or is no longer behaving as
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