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Articles > Tiki Care - How to take care of your Tiki Statues, Totems and Masks
Our best quality statues, totems and masks are hand-carved from Acacia wood, otherwise known by its Hawaiian name, Monkey Pod. Monkey pod became popular in the United States after the second world war when soldiers returned carrying souvenirs of tiki totems back to their families. To this day, we have many people tell us "I have a bowl just like that which my mother passed down to me years ago and we still use it today!"
Acacia is a dense, naturally resinous hardwood which (by it's very nature) resists penetration by water and will not stain. It also naturally repels insects. It is not necessary to oil the wood but if for some reason it appears to be drying out, you can use a non-toxic mineral oil like Tung Oil to restore the wood grain to its original beauty. Care is simple and easy: just hand wash with warm soapy water and air dry.
After carving we coat all our tiki products with Thompson's® Water Seal® clear coat which has a matt (not shiny) finish. This protects all of the items and can be reapplied annually if you want to maintain the perfect finish...
..but personally we prefer our Tiki art to remain outdoors and develop some character as it ages!
We also use Coco wood and Pine. As a guide, Acacia will last a lifetime (40+ years), Coco will last many years (20+ years) and Pine will last 5-10 years before showing any adverse signs of aging if left untreated. Insects are a problem in Coco and Pine, so location and insect-proofing is worth considering for the pine tiki masks for example.
Regardless of the materials used, fading from the sun's UV rays is to be expected, both the wood color and to the paint finishes if present. Pine in particular will last longer if out of direct rain because getting wet and then drying will eventually cause deep cracks. (For what it's worth, I don't even mind these deep cracks. I have yet to have a tiki fall apart from them!)
To summarize then, we recommend annual application of Tung Oil or Thompson's® Water Seal® on Tiki Masks and any totems not made from Acacia.
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