# Experts Please Help



## Waka (13 May 2006)

Last year I bought some new Teak patio furniture, thinking that I ought to protect the wood from the start I bought some liberon garden furniture oil and gave the table and chairs a good oiling.

During the winter the furniture was stored in the garage and covered over to give some protection.

With the summer here I gotthe furniture out and oiled the chairs, which came up really nice, but here's the problem, when i9t came to the table it had a lot of streaky marks and looked as if the table was oid.
The pictures below show the difference when I started sanding the top to try and bring it back to its glory.

The question is, is this a result of the funiture oil, if so can anyone recommend what I should be using in its place.


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## Nick W (13 May 2006)

Looks like it has got wet to me. 

BTW *Drive By*


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## Chris Knight (13 May 2006)

More of a ram raid I'd say...

Waka, oiling stuff that sits outside can encourage blackening sometimes I am not sure why, I think it has to do with some sort of fungus. There are special garden furniture oils that may help, other wise, leave it bare and accept the gray weathered look.


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## Scrit (13 May 2006)

Looks reminiscent of fungal attack, to me too? Was it stored next to something wet in winter? I'm thinking it could be mildew living off the oil finish. 

Scrit


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## CHJ (13 May 2006)

Scrit":3g146mm4 said:


> Looks reminiscent of fungal attack, to me too? Was it stored next to something wet in winter? I'm thinking it could be mildew living off the oil finish.
> 
> Scrit



I think likewise *Scrit*, It could be that the timber had a lot more moisture in it when stored (than the chairs) due to timber mass and that was enough to sustain mildew. Covering would only encourage this as it would have retained the moist atmosphere within the envelope.


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## Sgian Dubh (13 May 2006)

That looks like a case of mould Waka. I suspect it has nothing to do with the finish but everything to do with how and where the table was stored. 

Those grey bits I'd guess were stored against the wall of the garage and down by the floor. Of course I could be wrong on that assumption, but if that's the case then the end result would be that the part nearest the floor was in the dampest atmosphere with the least air circulation: conditions ideal for mould growth.

If you're lucky the mould won't have penetrated too deeply and getting the table out into a drier atmosphere with decent air circulation will arrest mould growth.

If the mould is still fuzzy wipe it off with a cloth damp with water and a mild bleach solution. This will take off the spores and discourage further growth. Get it dry so the mould can't become active again.

Next is to get the colour back. You could sand back to uncontaminated wood: you might have a long way to go so this could be a futile exercise. It might be better to look at bleaching the wood white all over and bringing back some colour later.

The A + B solutions work well for bleaching but, here's the possibility, you may not get an all over even white colour because of the staining from the mould. Also, you've got a lot of nooks and corners in the top that might be hard to get at with the bleach and neutralising agent.

Colouring up afterwards if you can get the bleaching done successfully could be done with dyes and/or stains along with the oil you're using. Dyes and stains can be got from DIY suppliers like B&Q. Not all of them perform well outdoors in the sun and rain so you'd need to look carefully at what you're buying before you go ahead. You could also tint the oil you're applying to build up colour. An oil based dye could be added in small quantities to the oil you're using for colour adjustment.

Anyway, I'm not sure you'd be altogether happy with the results whichever route you try to follow in effecting a cure. It's difficult giving good advice without seeing the piece close-up, and even if it was my table I'd be hesitant about taking any of the solutions involving real work. I suspect if it was me I might just arrest the mould development, sand up a bit and live with the ugly stain until the whole lot just blends down in colour to grey, or sooty black, depending on how polluted your local air is. Slainte.


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## houtslager (13 May 2006)

I go along with the fungus attack, I would wash it down with a mild bleach solution, let it dry THOROUGHLY.
Then using an OXALIX ACID dolution this will draw out the colour.It may take 2 or 3 washes.
Use the solution wet on wet, once washed down let it dry out and then to counteract the oxalic solution wash down with a vineger solution, let the table
dry a light rub down with 180 or 240 AP then re oil.

Loads of elbow required I'm sorry to say, but it will come out alright :wink:


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## Waka (14 May 2006)

Thanks for the advice guys, as you can see frommthe pic's I had already started sanding down the table top.

I'll give it some fresh oil and be sure to let it air when I store it for the winter, then see whatit's like next year. I'm surprized the chairs didn't go like the table because they were all stored the same way.

Once again thatnks for the replys. Now off onnth boat for a couple of weeks.


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