New Merbau deck oiled too soon?

[Brent007]

Hi there,

We had a new Merbau deck installed and the I installer oiled the deck almost right away and I am now thinking it was too soon. 

Should I look to use the intergrain cleaner and leave for a few weeks then re oil or is it too late?

Cheers

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Brent007. It's marvellous to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about oiling a Merbau deck.

The reason for ageing a Merbau deck is to leech the tannins out of it. If there are excessive amounts of tannins, they can bleed out through the oil, create a spotty finish, or prevent an adequate amount of oil from soaking into the timber.

If you are not yet experiencing any issues, I'd leave it alone. You might not have an issue, and even if you do, it doesn't really matter if you strip the oil off now or later. In six weeks' time, if you notice patchy areas, you can grab some Cabot's New Timber Prep, and with a few applications, you'll be able to strip the majority of the oil and tannins out and resolve the patchiness.

If it were me, I'd be waiting to see if there were issues before stripping the oil off.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell