Which stain for red oak glider bench

[Dennis Reardon]

Hello All

Thought I'd ask this question in finishing room. I am refinishing a project for my mother, it is a metal framed glider bench with, what I now think is Red Oak slats attatched to the frame. It looks like the original finish was either a couple of poorly applied spar clear coats, or maybe a light redwood stain and no finish. This glider has been out in weather for 12 years with a tarp tossed over it during the winter. After I removed the slats I spent several hours sanding them, however I could not rejuvinate all the slats to the "just from the lumber yard" look.

Even though not all the slats have the same coloring after the sanding party, I would like all the slats to be as uniform in color as possible. Which is why I am asking all you experts to chime in.

Some of the slats look just gorgeous now that I have removed 12 years of weathering, although one has a pretty nasty bow in it. My plan is to re-use the weathered slats by re-installing them with weathered side facing the rear of the glider. I might have to pick up a piece or two from the lumberyard to replace the bowed one, (it has a BIG BEND:eek: in it).

BTW this glider has little side tables attatched to the frame to rest your drinks, plates etc. I was thinking of redesigning them to have a built in beer, errr ahh cup holder:rolleyes: , what do you think?

[Steve Schoene]

Any clear finish is going to require a commitment to regular maintenance if the slider gets much sunlight during the day and couldn't be expected to last 12 years, or even two if it there is full sun all day. Light colored stains are best for durability, and you want a stain based entirely on pigment coloration since any dye component will fade pretty quickly in direct sun.

Spar varnish for the top coat is not all the same. Marine spar, either Epifanes Gloss, Interlux Schooner, or Pettit Captain's will outlast paint store spar varnishes by a large factor. You also need to follow the manufacturer's directions, which will call for at least 6 coats.

In partial sun like I would expect on a porch you can probably go a couple of years between maintenance coats. The first signs of the finish dulling are the signal to scuff sand and to apply an additional coat. Also it is important to touch up any dings that penetrate the finish very quickly, since once water penetrates below the finish--especially with red oak which isn't a very weather resistant wood to begin with--the finish will begin to fail quickly.

If you can make a cover from a light resistant fabric, such as Sunbrella, you would preserve a clear finish much longer.

And, if you just want to be able to refinish this now, and forget it for several years, use paint. It's much more practical outdoors.

[Al Wasser]

If I follow you correctly, you want to stain the red oak so all the slats, etc match. In my experience with stains, it will not happen. Stain will change the color, but differences in wood color will still result in stained color differences. I suspect that old wood vs. new wood wood will also result in color differences. Paint may indeed be the best way for several reasons. Try a stain first if that is what you want and if you don't like the results you can paint later.

[Dennis Reardon]

I thought I would not get a chance to work on this project until Wednesday afternoon but I was able to get another couple of hours in this evening. I was able to get all of the slats sanded down to 120 grit. I also got a chance to share the responses with Mom. She is adamant about re-using the original slats and either clearcoating or a light Mahogony stain.

As I was speaking, (really negotiating might be more accurate) I was trying to explain that by re-using the badly weathered boards the results would not be uniform. "Perfect" she said "it will look antiqued". Well what can I say what Mom wants Mon gets! Luckily my stepdad strolled by and declared three of the boards unusable, whew that was a close call.

I will try to post pics of the slats tomorrow morning. I am begining to lean to a light stain with plenty coats of spar varnish.

BTW what is the purpose of a sanding sealer?

[Steve Schoene]

Except with a few top coats where a particular sealer is required for good adhesion, the purpose is to speed production in commercial settings. These will be clearly identified in the manufacturers data sheets. Otherwise most all clear finishes are their own best sealer. Too much sanding sealer actually weakens the overall finish. It's a particularly bad idea to use ordinary sanding sealer outside, since one of the flaws is often that it picks up moisture, and swells, a process that will stress the overlying top coat. .