How would you refinish this teak garden furniture?

[Andy Giddings]

Found this web page about the pros/cons of using oil on teak, might be helpful? http://teakpatiofurnitureworld.com/s...with-teak-oil/

[Mark Gibney]

Jim, that's the big question - was the original finish a film finish? It's hard to tell. I tried calling the company, Ascot, but the number is disconnected.

And this is exactly why I'd prefer not to do this job, sanding all those spindles?

Andy, thanks for that link. Maybe a way to go is to order the product and try it out on one chair.

Thank you both, appreciate it.

[Julie Moriarty]

I bought an Ipe bench a few years ago. I applied Defy Extreme wood stain in clear. With Defy you have to apply wet-on-wet, 2 coats, and you're done. I was very impressed with how it held up on exterior cedar.

The Ipe didn't absorb like the cedar but the Defy kept the wood looking new for a couple of years, most of that in the Florida sun.

[Mark Gibney]

Interesting that this Defy product stayed on ipe for two years outdoor, and it's water based. Thanks for the info, I'll have to check this out.

[Julie Moriarty]

Interesting that this Defy product stayed on ipe for two years outdoor, and it's water based. Thanks for the info, I'll have to check this out.

It lasted for well over a year before the wood began to lose it's rich, dark appearance. Right now, over two years later, it's still brown but not the deep brown it was when new.

When I applied Defy to the bench, in May or June of 2015, I didn't think it was being absorbed but I went ahead and did the wet-on-wet application anyway. You have to apply it wet-on-wet because if the first coat is allowed to dry, it seals out the second coat. It applies more like a stain. My guess is the second coat on a wet first coat is to fill in what the first coat missed.

[Mel Fulks]

I've never seen any new teak stuff that didn't have an oil treatment. I would just add oil. Or do nothing and let it "weather
to a beautiful grey" . Yeah, everyone seems to hate the grey.

[John TenEyck]

Interesting that this Defy product stayed on ipe for two years outdoor, and it's water based. Thanks for the info, I'll have to check this out.

I have an Ipe' deck. Nothing oil based has lasted more than a few months before starting to fade. If I apply it in June, by Winter it looks like mud even if I clean it once a month. So this year I made up a sample board, one half with another OB product, one half with a WB one. As usual, the OB one now looks as poor as my deck, but the WB one is still looking pretty good.

Next Spring I am going to strip my deck, again, and not an easy task, and apply a WB product. I'm strongly considering a product from WoodRx or Sansin, but the one Julie had good luck with goes on my list to consider now, too.

http://www.woodrx.com/

http://www.sansin.com/decks_and_exteriors/decks/

Of all the commercial deck strippers I've tried, Jomax is the only one that has worked well for me. But it costs well over $100 to do my whole deck so I looked for cheaper alternatives. Good old TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) plus bleach do an amazing job, at very low cost. It removes the old finish, dirt, and any mold as fast as any commercial product I've tried.

John