Outdoor table - nothing works!

[farlsborough]

We have a circular garden table that is allegedly teak, and when I first got it I put teak oil on it. Inevitably it looked good for a while but started to crack and peel, and to be honest I don’t love the gloss of teak oil anyway.

So, sanded down and put on Rubio hybrid wood protector. I’ve been pleased with Rubio monocoat before but either this is rubbish or I’ve done something wrong - barely seems to have changed the wood which a few weeks seems dry and vulnerable.

So, what advice for a low maintenance, hard-wearing finish that ideally soaks in/bonds rather than layering, as realistically I won’t remember to rub down and recoat every 6 months!

 

[Doug71]

The lowest maintenance is to leave it unfinished, just give it a hose down and scrub every spring and it will turn a nice silver grey colour.

 

[Jacob]

Paint

 

[Orraloon]

Doug 71 is on the right track. There is no maintenance free product I know of that will protect wood out in the elements long term. Ask any boat owner why he scrapes back the varnish every year. The best of the bunch are outdoor furniture oils and the easiest to reapply but it needs doing at least every year. The sun does as much damage as the wet then there is mold and fungal growth so being out 24/7 is not ideal. Much better if it can be under cover when not in use.
Regards
John

 

[TRITON]

I've a bench to do and im using Afrormosia for the slats. I wont be putting a finish on because its the type of timber that is resistant to such things being so resinous.

From my Handbook of hardwoods under 'Durability and preservation' its listing as -
Insect attack - Reported highly resistant to termites in west Africa.
Durability of heartwood - Very durable.
Preservative treatment - Extremely resistant.
What that all means, especially the last one is it wont absorb finishes without first having surface oils removed by a solvent.
Its known as the African teak, so will share properties with teak.

Under the last two on Durability and Preservation, Teak is the same,-very durable/extremely resistant, so to get a finish onto it you will probably need to strip the oils and resins out it first with a good scrub of solvent.

Keeping in mind what these timbers wil be used for in their home countries, namely boat building. It will be subject to extremes of weather, salt water and a baking equatorial sun and it will go on for years if not decades under these conditions. So I think the UK weather is more a holiday camp in comparison, and without a finish it should last you decades.

My slats are going to be 38mm thick, basically as thats what they are and theres no point thicknessing them into sawdust. At that they'll probably outlast me, and likely whomever inherits it

 

[clogs]

Sikkens make several products that work well.....not cheap tho....
I use it on all outside furniture and hard wood windows......
when refinish time comes around I just scrub a bit with green Scotchbrite and paint it again....
the stuff soaks in with no probs and gives a good finish for at least 5 years....

 

[sawtooth-9]

We have a circular garden table that is allegedly teak, and when I first got it I put teak oil on it. Inevitably it looked good for a while but started to crack and peel, and to be honest I don’t love the gloss of teak oil anyway.

So, sanded down and put on Rubio hybrid wood protector. I’ve been pleased with Rubio monocoat before but either this is rubbish or I’ve done something wrong - barely seems to have changed the wood which a few weeks seems dry and vulnerable.

So, what advice for a low maintenance, hard-wearing finish that ideally soaks in/bonds rather than layering, as realistically I won’t remember to rub down and recoat every 6 months!

Just go to a ship chandler - they have an acid based teak scrub.
There are products that work a treat on restoring teak
I had a small yacht with 1 1/2 inch laid teak decks which had not been maintained for many years. Came up a treat, and just required oiling each year

 

[johnnyb]

paint bedec barn paint

 

[Jameshow]

A trick used by boat restorers is to epoxy the wood first and then varnish.

The epoxy seals and stabilizes the surface whilst the varnish protects the epoxy from UV light.

 

[mbartlett99]

Genuine teak doesn't require any finish at all to protect it - a good scrub with a bit of fairy and a scotchbrite sponge will keep it in fine fettle. I'd reccomend a trio of deckhands as well but that gets expensive really quick.

Teak Wonder A+B is the stuff Sawtooth is talking of and its not too bad - but follow the instructions or reap the consequences. Once a year should do you.

As for the 1000 snake oils that the chandlers sell I've never seen one last for long and on slatted furniture its a pig to strip/finish. I work on superyachts (albeit as engineer) and the only thing that seems to work outside is Epifanes but that needs a recoat twice a year. Custard did a thread on cutting Eifanes with tung oil and thinners and wiping it on. That leaves a nice deep matt finish and is easy to use but not sure how it lasts outside - my front door still looks good but its north facing.

 

[Skeety]

Sikkens make several products that work well.....not cheap tho....
I use it on all outside furniture and hard wood windows......
when refinish time comes around I just scrub a bit with green Scotchbrite and paint it again....
the stuff soaks in with no probs and gives a good finish for at least 5 years....

Sorry for the thread resurrections! Hopefully the content is worth it.

I did a similar restoration\rebuild of a teak table for my stepsons 21st.

It was fully sanded and I then (after much reading here\research etc. ) used Sikkens Cetol, it was not cheap, like "How much" not cheap.

Anyway, the table will get sanded again (lightly) and Sikkens Cetol applied again for said stepson's 30th in May! Apart from the occasional wipe over with soapy water and a rinse it's not been touched in nearly 9 years.

BTW, the Cetol goes a long way!

Jon.