Refinishing and maintaining teak side tables

[BARDSLJR]

Peeps and pilgrims: My teak side tables have gotten a bit weather-beaten over the last year or so in the harsh Denver conditions- and, well, I didn't do anything to protect them ....But now it appears I have a LOT more time on my hands, so I thought I would sand these back down to natural wood grain and finish them with ...what? Tung oil? Is this the recommended approach? Dennis? And for future preventive maintenance?

[Basher]

Bard I have been using danish oil on my timber. My KK remains new and does not need any, however, I have a hardwood deck table that is semi exposed and the danish oil made a remarkable difference.

Danish oil is a combination of Tung oil, linseed oil, and citrus oil.

I like it for a few reasons,

1. It can be applied with a rag and really easy to apply without messy clean ups.

2. It smells delightful, fresh and citrus like.

3. It can be touched up without needing to sand it back to a base.

4. It’s food grade.

The product I have settled on is called Organoil Danish Oil.

 

https://prep-productions.com/product-item/danish-oil/

There are other danish oils in the market. Give it a go and let us know how you find it.

I just bought 4 litres more today for the Benchtops on my new ODK.

 

 

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[Tyrus]

I second what Basher said. The wood I have treated in my backyard exposed to the elements has stood the test of time for now 5 years. Oil will darken the wood if that's a draw back but, longevity is the goal. Tacky when first applied and in a few days it dissipates. 

[DennisLinkletter]

And this company has good products. https://www.realmilkpaint.com

Remember that oil finishes are "in the wood" not on the wood finishes.  You wipe them on and let as much soak in as possible the wipe clean.. you can repeat but only if more is absorbed, it's not supposed to sit on top of the wood like varnish or polyurethane.  

[BARDSLJR]

Yup, I know that, thanks. Glad you approve.....

[Jon B.]

I have had good luck with Boos cutting board cream

[jonj]

Jon B, I hadn't thought to use Boos Cream outdoors. Do you use the oil first as with a cutting board?

[Jon B.]

7 minutes ago, jonj said:

Jon B, I hadn't thought to use Boos Cream outdoors. Do you use the oil first as with a cutting board?

I did not know about the first step oil procedure when I used the Boos cream on my side shelves.  Read about it later, when I bought some for my Uncle who was making a nice wood bowl. 

I did rub in 3 applications of the "cream" until the wood stopped absorbing the coatings.   I'm confident that the "cream" penetrated deep into wood....which I believe is the feature of using the oil first.

I treated my shelves when the teak was new and it still had plenty of natural oil.  @BARDSLJR may want to consider using the oil first, if he goes the Boos route. 

   

[jonj]

Thanks. I’ll use the two step process and see how it works.

[Jon B.]

@jonj  My uncle used the two step process on the teak bowl he made and it turned out great.  Please let us know how it turns for you. 

[Basher]

Send through the before and after shots Bard.
I’m curious how they finish up.


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[BARDSLJR]

Will do. I was going to do them tomorrow but it looks like the weather is bad Thursday-Friday so , since I want to do the sanding outside, will probably post sometime later this summer.

[Basher]

Bard I’m sure you have planned your approach to rejuvenating these side tables and this approach may now not be for you.

I have spoken to the manufacturer of Organoil and seen the finish they can achieve when the oil is burnished in- wet sanded. I’d never heard of this before and the manufacturer sent me these instruction sheets

 

I’m not sure what product you have decided on. This manufacturer say you can burnish all their oils in.

All natural products, basically combinations of Tung oil, linseed oil and citrus oils, plus some oxidants. I’m sure you will have similar products over there.

This burnished finish looked like glass, without the surface depth.

I’ll be trying this on some of my timber and will post results.

 

Here is my sample piece. Only hand polished wet danish oil with a rag for a few minutes

 

 

 

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[jonj]

Well, I forgot to take any "before" shots, but here are two "after" shots of my side tables after one coat each of Boos Oil and Boos Board Cream, each allowed to soak in 24 hours then any excess wiped off. Thanks for the tip, Jon B.

[BARDSLJR]

Wow, that's beautiful! I hope mine turns out as well! Hope to be able to post results Sunday...today it's 29* , sleeting /snowing and overcast. It will be 70 and sunny Sunday....typical Denver April!

[Basher]

I’m going to experiment on the underside of my bench tops with 3 different oils from the same producer. The difference is UV and mould inhibiters added to the furniture and decking oil, and a hardened added to the decking oil.

This is 5 minutes after the first coat of 3 oils with a rag.

 

This timber is a hard wood known as river red gum, aka Queensland Blue Gum.

It’s pretty dense.

I noticed early that the heartwood absorbs this oil 10 times deeper than the outer timber. The outer timber is the trees second defensive barrier to the bark and repels water,,,,, and oil.

 

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[BARDSLJR]

Nice! It will be interesting to see the side by side when done. I see you are replacing necessary vital fluids, too. Always a good thing to stay hydrated!

[Basher]

Nice! It will be interesting to see the side by side when done. I see you are replacing necessary vital fluids, too. Always a good thing to stay hydrated!

I’ve been refreshing too much lately with the extra time at home.
These 3 oils had minimal difference. The danish oil ended a fraction lighter.



This was after 3 coats applied with steel wool.
I’ll try some different application techniques.
Interesting product. As the oiled absorbed the surface had a very smooth waxy feel. Water beaded and I’ve read this wax can take 28 days to set properly


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[MacKenzie]

Basher, I love the look of all those.   Just need to see how they hold up in the long term.

 

[BARDSLJR]

Here's the before and after, using a natural Dutch oil application. I was pleased with the results, and the wood should be protected now for a year or so.