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It’s that time of year again and the days are getting shorter, and nights are getting longer and no matter how much you try to hold on the summer has packed its bags for another year.
Hopefully, you have had fun in the sun and one key component to that is being able to sit outside and enjoy a meal or a drink or just quiet contemplation with the warm sun on your face.
If, like me you have some lovely teak wooden garden furniture you will have noticed that it may not be looking like it once did, a slight bit of moss, some grime and even some animal droppings and over exposure to UV rays could be spoiling the look.
Is there a way to rejuvenate this furniture without breaking the bank and if so, can I do it without the need to hire specialist contractors?
The simple answer is yes and there are two easy methods that will turn your tired and worn-out wooden table and chairs back to their former glory. Now the best time to rejuvenate any wooden garden furniture is either Spring or early Autumn but do not worry if you have left it too late as it can be achieved any time of the year but both methods will require some drying time in one way or another.
What Advantage Is There To Maintaining My Furniture?
Again, a remarkably simple answer and that is to prolong its life and save you money. As the average price for a basic wooden garden furniture here in the UK is anything between £200 and £3500 depending on the quality so in order to gain the most value from your furniture, regular maintenance will increase its longevity.
What Is My Garden Furniture Made Of?
Well, there are a number of timbers that are used in the production of garden tables and chairs but the most popular are hardwoods such as teak, iroko, and white oak which are more durable and moisture resistant for longer than their softwood counterparts like cedar and cypress.
However, all timber will suffer the ravages of weather conditions such as rain, snow, and UV exposure that most of us face so will need to be well looked after in order to prolong their lifespan.
But I Cover My Furniture When Not In Use
That is a good habit to adhere to but will not entirely prevent the timber from perishing or even the hardware such as screws, nuts, and bolts from becoming rusty.
Rust will not only weaken the metal but cause discolouration on any timber it comes into contact with. Whether you do use the covers or not at some point in the life of your garden furniture it will need essential conservation carried out on to extend its life and make it look good for next summer and beyond.
Can I Just Overpaint With Oil Or Wood Stain?
No, you cannot unfortunately as you will need to prepare the surface of the wooden garden furniture before treating with any new wood preserving fluids and by preparation, we mean that it will need to be cleaned of any debris, stains, or grime in order for the oil or wood stain to have any long-lasting effect.
There are two methods that we will cover to remove any unwanted blemishes from your wooden furniture before you re-cover it in new oil or wood stain.
What Are The Methods?
There are two different ways in which to prepare your garden furniture for its new lease of life and they are:
- Sanding the furniture
- Pressure washing the furniture
Both will have the same results with slightly different approaches, and both will require some form of drying out period while the pair can be quite messy in their own way: one being dusty whilst the other one very wet.
Whichever method you choose you will not be disappointed with the end result.
1.Sanding
For this method you will need a number of tools to conduct the work and if you do have access to an electric sander, it will make the work slightly easier and much quicker. If not, then just sandpaper and maybe a sanding block Rubber Sanding Block | Sanding Accessories | Screwfix.com or sanding sponge Norton Sanding Sponges 68 x 100mm 120 / 80 Grit 6 Pack | Hand Sanding | Screwfix.com will suffice.
You will also need a small brush and I would recommend a dust sheet of some kind to collect all of the sawdust that will be generated.
Top Tip: Place all furniture on top of a dust sheet to catch the majority of sawdust that falls off.
Firstly, always sweep the furniture with the small brush to remove any loose debris or cobwebs etc and please ensure you get underneath the table and chairs and into all of those hard-to-reach places that are not immediately visible.
You will see the benefits of this stage as the sandpaper can become clogged up if there are too many loose items still attached to your furniture.
Once you are satisfied that the garden furniture is debris free you can start sanding. Initially I would use an 80-grade sandpaper on either the electric sander or sanding block/sponge as this will be abrasive enough to remove the thickest and most stubborn of stains.
Once you have sanded the entire frame of the chairs and table then take the sandpaper down to a 120-grade as this is finer and will ensure a smoother finish to the wood.
You will need to use handheld sandpaper to reach in between the slats of the seats and backs of the chairs as well as the table but these areas should have less detritus to remove as they are a vertical face.
Top Tip: Really get into all the crevices and even sand over any exposed metal such as screws, nuts, and bolts as this will remove surface rust too.
Once you have completed the sanding of all of your items it is time to tidy up and make the area as dust free as possible for the next phase.
Oil or Stain?
You do have choices as to what you protect your newly smooth and dirt-free wooden furniture with, and it entirely depends on the look you hope to achieve.
Oil will give you a very natural look whereas the choice of colours available in wood stains give you more variety of finish. Here are some of the options for you:
- Ronseal Ultimate Protection Hardwood Furniture Oil: A deep penetrating hardwood garden furniture oil that stains and protects bare wood or previously oiled hardwood garden furniture
- Cuprinol Ultimate Furniture Oil: A high performance furniture oil for use on all bare and previously oiled hardwood garden furniture
- Timbashield Solvent Based Wood Stain: A versatile solvent-based wood stain suitable for all bare wood garden furniture. Colours and waterproofs with a blend of oils, resins, and waxes. Quick drying formula that can be applied by brushing, spraying, roller, and dipping.
- Ronseal Ultimate Protection Hardwood Garden Furniture Stain: A water-based wood stain for use on all hardwood garden furniture
- Sadolin Garden Furniture Stain and Protector: A high quality, waterborne wood stain for all wooden garden furniture.
All of these will give you long lasting protection but please always read the label before use. Most will recommend at least two coats with advisable drying times in between but for me I would always apply three coats to just add that little bit more defence against Mother Nature.
Top Tip: Place all furniture on top of a dust sheet to prevent any splashes of oil or wood stain damaging surrounding area.
Once you have completed this stage it is time to either pack them away or cover them for winter or simply wait until all surfaces are dry and start to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
2. Pressure Washer
This method is possibly the easiest way in which to remove all of those horrible stains from your garden furniture, but it is also by far the messiest as water and debris will cover a large space around your working area so, please cover any plants or windows that may be nearby.
The first thing I must bring to your attention is the power of your jet washer as in most cases you only need a maximum of 100 bar WATER RESISTANT MEASURES & WHAT IT MEANS — NO BS WATCHMAKER as any stronger and you run the risk of causing damage to the timber.
Please also ensure that you do not put the lance too close to the furniture as again this could cause damage that can prove costly.
That said if you have the right pressure washer and technique this is not just a quick way to get the job done but extremely satisfying as you watch the grime simply vanish as you spray. You can really get into those hard-to-reach places with a pressure washer so do not be frightened to get wet.
Top Tip: If you have Wellington boots wear them as this is wet and messy but great fun too.
The one disadvantage with this method over sanding is that you will now need to leave all of the furniture to dry out completely which is why you will either need three to four days of dry weather or enough indoor space to make the drying process quicker.
If you do get the lance of the power washer too close to the timber, it may cause some mild damage but no worry as you can always use some sandpaper to smooth off any fraying edges.
Last But Not Least.
Once your lovely wooden garden furniture is completely dry you can then add your oil or wood stain as per the instructions above.
Now that you have completed this essential task and taken another chore from your DIY list you can put that to one side for another couple of years at least.
Top Tip: Why not take this time to tighten up any screws or bolts on your furniture or why not clean any seat covers that are part of the set.
