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How to restore old timber chairs?

I'm looking for some guidance on restoring these chairs. It will be used for outdoors under covered patio. I was wondering what i need to do to restore these chairs? Couple questions I have are:

1. Do I need to sand this to bare wood, or can I apply a product on it without sanding?

2. What product should I use keeping in mind that it will be used outdoors in a covered area?

3. Can I change the colour, or is it best to try to stick to the colour it is now? It will be my first restore project

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Comments

MitchellMc

Hi @Pete112,

The first step, whether you plan to clear-coat the chairs or paint them, is to sand the timber to remove the deteriorated old coating. If you want to clear-coat and preserve the natural timber look, it’s best to sand the chairs back to bare wood. Once sanded, you can apply a product like Bondall 1L Satin Monocel Gold Marine Clear Timber Varnish, which is designed for outdoor use and will provide excellent protection.

If you’d like to change the colour of the chairs, you’ll still need to sand off the damaged coating. After sanding, apply Dulux 1L PRECISION White Maximum Strength Adhesion Primer to prepare the surface. Once primed, paint the chairs with Dulux Aquanamel, which offers a durable and attractive finish suitable for outdoor environments.

Keep in mind that while these products will protect the timber, the natural fibre used for the seats is more challenging to seal. Typically, chairs with natural fibre seats are designed for indoor use, but you can use linseed oil to provide some level of protection. However, it’s still best to keep the chairs undercover and out of direct exposure to weather to prolong their lifespan.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Pete112

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/47288#Comment_47288

Thanks for the reply! Is there a shortcut method where I could apply a particular vanish ontop of the existing one? Or is must sand it down etc?

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/85737#Comment_85737

The coatings are entirely deteriorated in some areas and not others @Pete112. In this case, to get a consistent finish, the advice would be to remove all the coating. You could sand the deteriorated area to remove any coating that is potentially delaminating, scuff the better areas and overcoat the lot, but the results would be unknown.

Mitchell

Susanbarnes

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/52645#Comment_52645

Hello @Susanbarnes

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

Restoring your teak chairs and giving them a lighter oak look is definitely doable, and it’s a great way to freshen up older furniture. The first thing you’ll need to do is sand them back thoroughly to remove the old finish and bring out the natural grain something like the Ryobi Corner Sander or Bosch Palm Sander from Bunnings can really help with those curved chair edges. Once you’ve sanded them back to raw timber, head into the paint department at Bunnings and check out the timber finishes sample board section. That’s the best spot to get a feel for what lighter oak colours actually look like on wood.

I’d also recommend having a chat with one of the paint specialists there they’re usually great with tips and can help you decide between something like Feast Watson Stain & Varnish or Cabot’s Water Based Stain in Oak, depending on the exact look you’re after. As a general tip, always test your chosen finish on a hidden spot before doing the whole chair, and make sure you wipe off any dust and use a clean cloth between coats.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

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