recommendations for teak finishing product for outdoor teak patio furniture?

[michael rosenberg]

i have a bunch of chunky teak outdoor patio furniture. I have been refinishing it with Semco Teak Sealer every few years. After a while, it turns grey (which I know is normal) but it gets a whole bunch of black specks and stains on it (i assume is mold or mildew?) and looks dark, dirty and terrible. I powerwash it and the colour comes back, dirt goes away it looks good and then I refinish it again. Is there a better product than Semco Teak Sealer that I should use that will last longer and work better? Any advice appreciated!! Thank you!

[John TenEyck]

Refinishing it every few years? You're doing great. I don't think you'll find many alternatives that will give you similar longevity with so little maintenance. I'm about to try a product called "Wet and Forget" between the cleaning/refinishing cycles on my deck. It's supposed to kill mold, mildew, etc. continuously for several months. You might consider using that on your patio furniture. Alternatively, you could put covers on them. I have covers over all of my outdoor furniture and only take them off when I want to use them.

John

[Wayne Lomman]

Every few years is a good result. Don't bother with any film finishes, just do what you are doing. Cheers

[michael rosenberg]

ok. Thanks

Refinishing it every few years? You're doing great. I don't think you'll find many alternatives that will give you similar longevity with so little maintenance. I'm about to try a product called "Wet and Forget" between the cleaning/refinishing cycles on my deck. It's supposed to kill mold, mildew, etc. continuously for several months. You might consider using that on your patio furniture. Alternatively, you could put covers on them. I have covers over all of my outdoor furniture and only take them off when I want to use them.

John

[michael rosenberg]

ok. thanks

[Ted Phillips]

You might look into using a clear penetrating epoxy sealer (CPES). I've had very good luck using it on outdoor furniture as a base coat - which I then top with a varnish or some other topcoat. It seals up the wood fibers very well - the one disadvantage is that it will degrade with UV exposure unless you put something on top of it that provides UV protection (like some marine and spar varnishes).

[Doug Hepler]

Michael,

I respectfully disagree with advice offered so far. I don't know the environment in which your furniture stays, and I don't know your attitude about finishing. So maybe Wayne, John, et al are giving you the best advice for you. Maybe not.

I have experience with Epifanes spar varnish and with McCloskey Man O' War spar varnish, both in Florida (Epifanes on cypress furniture) and in Colorado (McCloskey on redwood and eucalyptus furniture). Especially in Colorado, McCloskey stands up well. My redwood picnic table and eucalyptus chairs are going on 6 years out in the weather. The table needed a scuff sanding this year with one fresh coat of McCloskey on the top. Mainly that was as much cosmetic as preventive because the wood was as good as new. The chairs are still pristine.

It takes many coats of either product, with 24 hours between coats. They are expensive. And you still will need to touch them up after a few (3-6) years, depending on conditions. But if you apply them as directed on the can I doubt that you will get the black crud that you described in your OP. You should not need to sand them down to bare wood and start over from scratch. Finishing the chairs, especially was a character builder. But it has paid off. I prefer to invest the time and money up front because I dislike having to repeat the tedious process of re-finishing with an inferior product.

As I said, this may not be to your taste but I wanted to chime in.

Doug

[Patrick Chase]

I respectfully disagree with advice offered so far. I don't know the environment in which your furniture stays, and I don't know your attitude about finishing. So maybe Wayne, John, et al are giving you the best advice for you. Maybe not.

I have experience with Epifanes spar varnish and with McCloskey Man O' War spar varnish, both in Florida (Epifanes on cypress furniture) and in Colorado (McCloskey on redwood and eucalyptus furniture). Especially in Colorado, McCloskey stands up well. My redwood picnic table and eucalyptus chairs are going on 6 years out in the weather. The table needed a scuff sanding this year with one fresh coat of McCloskey on the top. Mainly that was as much cosmetic as preventive because the wood was as good as new. The chairs are still pristine.

Semco Teak Sealer is an oil with UV protectants and mildewcide mixed in, so it provides a very different appearance (and a very different level of protection) than a long-oil spar varnish like the ones you suggest. Semco does offer a clear-cote product to go over the sealer for people who want high build.

[John TenEyck]

Doug, the lawn furniture that I keep covered are varnished with Epifanes. It's great stuff but will not stand up more than 3 years in the NE before it needs to be at least scuff sanded and recoated. And if it blisters at all, like mine did on some corners, then you are looking more work. I had to sand some parts back to completely bare wood and start over.

McCloskey won't make it a year in the NE if you leave it out in the weather. Epifanes is certainly better but still needs regular maintenance, or more if you let it get away from you. I think the OP would be in for a lot more work if he goes down the film finish route. My two cents.

John

[andy bessette]

Varnishing requires a lot of maintenance, unless you keep it covered. Just keep doing what you're doing.

[Doug Hepler]

Hi, John

Thanks for your comment. Obviously protecting outdoor furniture is difficult and subject to many variables. I can just cite my experience, but I accept that others' experience may vary. I just wanted to put in another view.

Doug