Before and After
Settling back in at home after a busy 2 weeks. I needed a bit of downtime and relax with some wood.
We retrieved a couple of nice Teak lawn chairs from the Island. Best we can determine, these are 36 years old and out in the weather for most of that time. Gotta love Teak, it weathers nicely. If you like the Grey look with alge growing on it.
It is a bit humid in the summers on Hilton Head Island. Most of the time, the humidity is above 90%. Stuff grows amazingly well. Sometimes not where it is appreciated.
Anyhow, I decided to see what was hiding underneath.
Here is one of the chairs before I started to clean and refinish it.
I first scrubbed the chair to remove the green stuff growing on it. I also removed the salt that was embedded in the surface.
Then I scraped off all of the remaining finish that was clinging to a few surfaces. A quick sanding in the places I couldn't reach with the scraper and I was ready to start refinishing. Two days of work and I still didn't know what it was going to look like.
(Actually, when wet from the scrubbing, it did provide a hint as to how it was going to look)
I chose to use a finish called Tung oil. Teak has a lot of oil in it so most standard finishes won't adhear very well. An oil based finish will just enhance the look and provide some protection. Because it is already oily, it sticks.
OK, so, I started adding finish, the Tung oil needs multiple coats to build the finish. Each coat needs to be sanded lightly in between and the dust needs to be removed between coats.
Three coats later.
Here's the second chair next to the first. Guess which one is done.
Not too bad for a 36 year old chair eh?
Recent Comments
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Woods never cease to excite me. Imagine the joy in carving 100 + year old teak. Old utility poles from the Philippines. Great job.
I love Teak. It is amazing wood. Wow! the chair looks beautiful. Definitely a labour of love.
Teak is a very stable wood. Hence it's frequent use in outdoor furniture.
I am quite aware that wood moves. It is a carpenter's nemesis.
I have a battered Indonesian teak coffee table that is due a big sanding back and refinish. It is so heavy and broad, and has stood up to so much heavy, and varied use. You’ve inspired me to reconsider the finish for our summer project in December!
Considering the comment you made about oil-based products for teak, what could you recommend in a very dark brown, or Japanese black?
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Very nice!