Gel stain for outdoor furniture?

[Dave Rosner]

I’ve been battling with my pottery barn outdoor furniture set for years. The finish started to fail after the first year on the tables and some of the other horizontal surfaces. Really not their fault I guess and I’m well aware that if I want nice outdoor furniture then I need to be prepared to put more finish on each year. Last season I used waterlox marine as I’ve used it on my sapelle garage doors and it holds up great. I use waterlox for my Own furniture Projects and I like the product.

so here’s the thing...when I sand down to bare wood it’s pretty obvious that pottery barn mixed and matched different species of wood. They are pretty close but vary in color and even grain pattern. The furniture that still has the original finish looks kinda like paint with barely any grain showing. So they must have used a gel or tinted the top coat.

Can I do an oil based Gel Stain on my outdoor furniture and then top with Waterlox marine which is an oil based varnish? Waterlox says yes but the finish won’t “penetrate as deeply” which to me equates to less moisture protection. Regular pentrating oil minwax looks ok - but if I can get the color more consistent it would be optimal.

any suggestions?

[Jim Becker]

The big challenge with using coloring agents for outdoor furniture is...UV fade. You might want to experiment with semi-opaque or opaque exterior stain for your finish since it's designed for that environment.

[Dave Rosner]

Was worried I’d have to go there. I have a perception that kind of “deck finish” might look a bit painted on. Plus And chipping or scratches to the finish and the much lighter wood underneath will show through in a bad way. But That might be the best option and maybe I don’t have to add finish every year.

i checked some of the manufacturers but it’s not clear to me if I can add a coat every year or so. Anyone know if that stuff builds and you are limited to how many coats? What I love about waterlox is how easy and quick I can add a coat or two every year on top of what’s already there.

[Jim Becker]

Exterior stain products are designed to breath, unlike their paint counterparts. They can be recoated. I don't know if there is any kind of limit to that... They are also formulated to "fade less". There's no stopping it entirely, but a designed for the outdoors product is going to be better in that respect than something that's not.

[Dave Rosner]

Great call Jim - after some more research i'm thinking a penetrating (oil based) deck stain is my best option. I'm leaning towards the ipe/hardwood semi-transparent stain from Armstrong Clark. Kinda strange guidance from them to leave the bare wood furniture out in the weather for a few months before applying. Seems these penetrating deck stains aren't a film build up so reapplying each year or so as maintenance should in theory work.

https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/

[John TenEyck]

I use that product on my Ipe' deck. It is by far the best of the 3 products I've used. I started with Ipe' Oil when the deck was new. Looked great for about 2 months, then faded fast, then turned ugly over the winter with dirt and black mold. I had to completely strip it to remove it. So then I tried Penofin Hardwood Oil. Same thing, only worse. Stripping, power washing, it wasn't pretty. Last year I tried Armstrong Clark's Oil. It fades, too, but at least dirt and mold don't build up on it.

I don't think I'd let the table weather before applying the stain. As long as the wood is porous it will accept the stain. Also, wipe off any excess stain as the directions instruct to avoid sticky spots that will collect dirt. And if it all goes south and turns into a dirty, moldy mess next Spring TSP + bleach will strip off the dirt and mold.

John