Wooden Garden Bench

[gness]

I am renovating a quite old but heavy and sturdy garden bench which suffered from a year in strong sunlight and some heavy rain.

It's now going to be in the shadiest part of the garden under a tree. I have sanded it down to bare wood so should I treat the wood before staining it and can anyone recommend a wood stain that is fairly durable?

I did once use a wood stain that was pretty useless but can't remember which of the well know ones it was.

Thanks Gx

[shoota]

Danish oil first imo.

[shoota]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_oil

[gness]

Shoota....thanks for that....it seems perfect for what I want...not to be having to do it every year!

I had a quick look at some other Danish Oil links and it seems you can use it to give good protection and then put on a colour......Ideal!

Thanks Gx

[shoota]

Plusnet

[stuey]

Whatever type of stain you use, protect it with at least one coat of polyurethane especially since it's an outdoor project.

[gness]

Virgin....☺

Hi, Stuey.....are you our over the fields Stewey?

I have just remembered I have the Rustins Danish Oil that Owdhammer sent to me with the beautiful bowls.....meant to be!

[heathfield]

i swear by Ronseal Outdoor Varnish. Once dry, it seems to have a sort of rubbery fexibility to it that stops it flaking, blistering or peeling. I have a bench that I gave two coats to two summers ago. The bench has stayed outside in all weathers and still looks like it was varnished only last week.

[gness]

Thanks, Heathfield.....the one I used lasted barely a year so I'm happy for tried and tested recommendations....x

[Clanad]

All good suggestions, but before you decide check out the value and durability of Spar Varnish... as the name implies, such varnishes are made for hard, everyday life. One site states:

"When a varnish is made, the ratio of oil to resin can have a dramatic effect on the way the varnish will behave. For instance, using a small amount of oil and a large amount of resin will produce a very hard but somewhat brittle finish. Obviously, this is not suitable for outdoor applications since we need an outdoor finish to be flexible. So what makes more sense is to create what is known as a “long-oil varnish”, that is, a formulation that contains a greater percentage of oil. The extra oil results in a softer, more flexible finish that will not crack when the wood expands and contracts..."

The tupe of oil in a really good spar varnish will always be tung oil (rather than linseed) and the resins used should be phenolic modified alkyd resins and the contents list on the can should also reference UV protectives. There are a number of good spar varnishes available, but don't skimp on cost. As usual... three or four evenly applied thin coats with a little fine greit sanding between each is far better than one or two thickly applied coats...

[gness]

Thanks, Clanad...new one on me but had a quick look and seems interesting....will read more later....Gx

[stuey]

I think that you'll find, gness, that asking which is the "best" way to treat and finish wood is akin to asking which is the "best" way to cook a soft-boiled egg:) By the way, I'm not criticizing any of the answers.

[anneasquith]

4/5 minutes.

[tonyav]

To hard.

[anneasquith]

depends on the size.

[tonyav]

Standard.

[gness]

What's...."cook"?

[tonyav]

LOL, hell no, gness. Prick and ping !.

[humbersloop]

for thestain,is it a soft or hard wood bench gness?

either way, imo you want an oil-based, uv resistant varnish

[humbersloop]

*the bangsstickykey stain*

[tonyav]

I used to find that foundation from my girlfriends in my youth ! fizzog that managed to find it's way on to my shirts / jackets left a stain that was almost impossible to remove.