I can't speak for others but I have a teak table that's been in the back garden as our main patio dining table for at least 20 years. It withstood with no issues a tree falling on it one year during a terrible storm. It never comes in or gets covered. Every 3 or 4 years I sand it down. It's not sealed either. I got it at Smith and Hawkins way before they closed so I think quality can make a big difference.

I also have a teak bench that is at least as old. And I let them both just go gray.

My teak dining set is 16 years old. I also let mine go gray. Every spring I give it a good scrub with water just to get the dirt off, but other than that I treat it as no maintenance.

I have a teak set that is over 25 years old. It sits outside all year long and has grayed. It's an Adirondack style and the large flat arms need smoothing down where water has sat on them. Otherwise all the pieces are in great shape including the table.

We bought teak patio furniture a little over two years ago. We were told we would need to clean it once or twice a year to keep it looking new, but that if you do it more often, it is much easier and faster to do. If you let if grey, it requires more work to clean it and restore the color. Within a couple of months of us getting the furniture, my mom broke her hip and then she and my dad had other problems. The both passed in the coming months and my youngest graduated from high school and went off to college -- we were busy and I wasn't really up to tackling the patio furniture. It really didn't look brand new, but it wasn't bad. Last year, the other older son graduated from college and both sons had two moves before the summer was over. Patio furniture was once of those things we let slide again. This year we were hit with nearly non-stop rain, and now that the rain has hit the pause button we have dangerous heat ---- so, the teak has been on its own again so far this year.

I've seen weathered teak and it is a pretty grey -- soft and the texture is still smooth -- not raised grain like you might think. I'm not sure if we will let ours continue to patina or clean them back to the original color. Both are good. Right now, the two chaises are nearly grey with white slings and the table and chairs are semi-greyish. We have teak rockers we bought from Sam's on the front porch and they have not changed much so far.

Teak is not cheap, but it may not run a lot more than quality metal sets and it should last you a lifetime. This is the set we got. I liked the round tables but we didn't have the space for a larger one. The extensions allow us more room to seat 6-8, possibly 10, when needed, but the Laguna chairs are on the narrower side and we can sit 6 even when in the round. But if you have the space, there are so many options out there. BTW, the site I linked has a 10% sale right now. Earlier and later in the season, they have deeper discounts for early birds and end of or off season. The prices will probably go down by $th of July or soon after. If your current set can hold out a little longer, you can save 25-30% with free shipping (I just checked my quote). Of you cose them, they really do crate, pallette and accept free returns (we tried two chairs to decide which was most comfortable -- we ordered one of each style, sent one back and ordered 5 more of the one we wanted. No cost for sending the one back. Great service.

I like the natural gray that it turns best anyway. Soft and beautiful.

" gold standard"? How about redwood? My parents 60 year old picnic table ! I'm going to lightly sand , add a bit of gray wash , and add some finish. It's gone through several color and use transformations through the years. :) but this patina isn't available in new wood.

Hmmm. Another pic try

I got an email from Westminster Teak this morning -- their Father's Day Sale says up to 30% and free shipping, but the website still shows 10% and says additional savings for email subscribers, which apparently included previous purchasers who haven't unsubscribed. So, if you aren't interested, sign up for the email -- or if my experience was typical, I called and was asking about the sales and the guy offered the 30% plus free shipping. I think the advertised was 20-25% at the time. Either way, and additional 20% on a teak set is something I wanted to let you know about.

When we bought a bunch of Adirondack chairs, one thing I was told was that there are a lot of varieties and grades of teak, so beware.

I like my teak weathered. We have a ton of it. Some of it from the PO and some from our first house. It's super stuff. Cedar is good too, if you like wood that goes gray ( I do). We also have a set that looks like cast iron but is aluminum, from Brown Jordan back when it was to the trade, and that is 17 yrs old and still looks new. Same with the resin wicker from Brown Jordan.