Left outside, teak turns. The honey tone fades through tan toward a soft driftwood gray over four to twelve months, depending on sun and rain. Nothing is wrong. The oils that protect the wood remain; only the surface color changes.
The silvered path asks nothing of you. Hose the frame down once a season, tighten the hardware once a year, and let the color arrive. Silvered teak reads coastal, calm, and honest — it is the default on working boats for a reason, and it is why we say teak rewards neglect more than fuss.
The honey path asks for one afternoon a year. A two-part teak cleaner lifts the gray and restores the original color; two thin coats of sealer, worked with the grain, hold it. Reapply once a season. The one thing we ask you never to do is oil the wood — teak oil feeds mildew, darkens unpredictably, and protects nothing. Sealing, not oiling.
There is no wrong choice, and there is no permanent choice — a silvered frame can come back to honey any spring you decide it should. That reversibility is one more thing Grade A heartwood buys you.