Refinishing & Rebuilding Teak Outdoor Furniture
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Cheese
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Teak does rot...here's the reason these shelves were no longer freely sliding like they should. Rotting teak on the bottoms and the sides of the shelves.
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And rotting teak inside the channels that the shelves and the guide dowels ride in.
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So, all of these rotting items were sloughing off rotten/soft teak and the stuff was piling up and re-solidifying in the shelf guide channels, therefore impairing movement.
Once I figured out what the real issue was with the sliding shelves, I decided to coat all of the sliding elements in CPES. As CPES will penetrate into face grain as well as end grain it seemed to be the ideal solution to prevent further deterioration and harden the sliding surfaces . Everything other than the sliding surfaces was masked and 5 applications of CPES was applied. It was left to cure, lightly sanded with 400 grit and then a final coat of CPES was applied and very lightly sanded with 600 grit.
Here's one of the shelf bottoms before and after receiving the CPES treatment.
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The shelf assembly is reassembled using screws and new teak plugs/dowels. I decided not to use glue just incase I needed to revisit the solution. [unsure]
This really became the charm, as once assembled, the shelves literally slid out on their own...no human intervention.
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[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
And rotting teak inside the channels that the shelves and the guide dowels ride in.
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
So, all of these rotting items were sloughing off rotten/soft teak and the stuff was piling up and re-solidifying in the shelf guide channels, therefore impairing movement.
Once I figured out what the real issue was with the sliding shelves, I decided to coat all of the sliding elements in CPES. As CPES will penetrate into face grain as well as end grain it seemed to be the ideal solution to prevent further deterioration and harden the sliding surfaces . Everything other than the sliding surfaces was masked and 5 applications of CPES was applied. It was left to cure, lightly sanded with 400 grit and then a final coat of CPES was applied and very lightly sanded with 600 grit.
Here's one of the shelf bottoms before and after receiving the CPES treatment.
[attachimg=5]
[attachimg=6]
The shelf assembly is reassembled using screws and new teak plugs/dowels. I decided not to use glue just incase I needed to revisit the solution. [unsure]
This really became the charm, as once assembled, the shelves literally slid out on their own...no human intervention.
[attachimg=7]
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Cheese
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On to the wheels of the chaise...after withstanding 15+ years of weather, the wheel assembly was in pretty rough shape. The end grain on the wheels needed a lot of help. It's tough to see in this photo but the bottom of the wheel housing has several small cracks because of the splash back of water from the patio surface.
[attachimg=1]
The entire wheel will be covered with CPES along with the bottom end grain of the wheel housing.
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Again, after 7 to 8 coats on the end grain and 4 coats on the face grain, the CPES quits wicking in.
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Here's the finished product. The treated end grain of the wheel housing can only be seen because of its different gloss level, the colors are the same.
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The entire wheel will be covered with CPES along with the bottom end grain of the wheel housing.
[attachimg=2]
Again, after 7 to 8 coats on the end grain and 4 coats on the face grain, the CPES quits wicking in.
[attachimg=3]
Here's the finished product. The treated end grain of the wheel housing can only be seen because of its different gloss level, the colors are the same.
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
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I debated teak years ago and went with wrought iron that was painted black. After 25 years, it had developed some rust, so I had it all picked up and professionally dipped, sand blasted and then powder coated. Worked great. Cost was about 1/2 the cost of the furniture new, so not cheap. I think I had maybe 3500 in the original set, and about 1600 in the recoating.
You're doing a great job on the repairs and refurbishment. But I don't think I've ever seen teak furniture that stood up to the elements long term.
But since you are retired, what else do you have to do now!
Great photos and process. Thanks!
You're doing a great job on the repairs and refurbishment. But I don't think I've ever seen teak furniture that stood up to the elements long term.
But since you are retired, what else do you have to do now!
Great photos and process. Thanks!
Looks like you’re doing a very nice job. I tried Smith's but ultimately went with West Systems and a heat gun to heat the wood before applying epoxy. I hated the fumes/smell of Smith's. West has some of their own thoughts on penetrating epoxies you might find interesting.
https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/penetrating-epoxy-legend-myth/
https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/penetrating-epoxy-legend-myth/
Cheese
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Hey [member=167]neilc[/member] just curious how you prevented rust stains on the deck or on the patio?
Yup powder coating isn't cheap...and I also found out that locally, there's an up-charge if you want primer. [huh] So all the local powder coaters will give you an estimate MINUS primer.
Yup powder coating isn't cheap...and I also found out that locally, there's an up-charge if you want primer. [huh] So all the local powder coaters will give you an estimate MINUS primer.
Cheese
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Koamolly said:
Thanks for the link to Epoxyworks. [smile] In their testing/evaluation, Epoxy A is obviously Smith's CPES, do you know who they're referring to as Epoxy B? They don't say much about it either good or bad.
I like West products a lot, I've used them for slab cracks. When I started this project I first considered West because of my previous experience, I also looked at TotalBoat and MAS. I only considered Smith's after reading a ton of boat rebuilding articles most of which weren't very complimentary towards TotalBoat.
No, I don’t know who B might be.
I used Smith's on redwood end grain I was using for a small entry bridge to my house which is in a rainforest so very wet environment. I soaked the wood in containers. It was a hassle soaking the end grain of a 2 X 12 X 12' etc. Plus it’s so volatile, the fumes lingered in the house. But it worked fine. After I had finished my project I ended up doing a deck for a friend in another very wet area. His neighbor was a distributor for West Systems so I had access to a unlimited supply of West (and as it turns out, quite a bit of really good red wine). Their container and stirrers are also great and reusable many times. So used a lot of West for coating all end grain on all the framing. Also, cutting out rot and laminating new lumber in on house framing, filling countless carpenter bee damage and termite damage. Since then I’ve been hooked on West regardless of any discount I might get.
I used Smith's on redwood end grain I was using for a small entry bridge to my house which is in a rainforest so very wet environment. I soaked the wood in containers. It was a hassle soaking the end grain of a 2 X 12 X 12' etc. Plus it’s so volatile, the fumes lingered in the house. But it worked fine. After I had finished my project I ended up doing a deck for a friend in another very wet area. His neighbor was a distributor for West Systems so I had access to a unlimited supply of West (and as it turns out, quite a bit of really good red wine). Their container and stirrers are also great and reusable many times. So used a lot of West for coating all end grain on all the framing. Also, cutting out rot and laminating new lumber in on house framing, filling countless carpenter bee damage and termite damage. Since then I’ve been hooked on West regardless of any discount I might get.
Cheese
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Koamolly said:
Now that's weird, I've mixed up 8-10 batches of the Smith's stuff and I've yet to smell the volatiles. And I'm the one with the fine nose as my wife always asks me if something is still good to eat. [smile] Maybe it's because I've done everything outside?
I'm also using the Smith's winter formula which contains more volatiles so they flash off quicker during cool temperatures. This stuff can be used in temps from 70º down to 32º.
However, the free red wine could get me to switch vendors. [big grin] [big grin]
Great job/work! I applaud you for your patience…Cheese from the looks of it you filled/sanded the chair back end grain and the joint cracks, which I guess receives the moisture as well, (under the leaking cover) do you think the CPES penetrated enough and the joint movement won’t cause it to fail/crack open up?
I see another quart of CPES in your future [wink] …thanks
I see another quart of CPES in your future [wink] …thanks
Cheese
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Vondawg said:
Thanks...Vondawg [smile] I do think the CPES penetrates enough but what do I know? [smile] Any process I employ or any product I select will ultimately be graded only after the passage of time. [sad] That's the reason I leaned heavily on the information from the boat building community.
I think this is a good example of it's penetrating capabilities.
Photo 1 is the chaise leg as I originally found it with 2 large cracks about 3/4" long.
[attachimg=1]
I then masked the leg and applied 7-8 coats of CPES. Photo 2 is when I removed the masking tape. The 2 dark spots are where the CPES wicked from the end grain to the outer leg surface. The masking tape was stuck to the leg and I had to remove it with my finger nail and a scalpel.
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Photo 3 is after sanding. You can see the veins of cured CPES on the leg surface. And while the crack is visible on the bottom surface of the leg, it will not catch a fingernail and it is fully encapsulated.
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Actually the epoxy process isn't that time intensive, it's the sanding that's slow. The cold weather formula has a pot life of 2 hours at 70º. So even though the legs took 7-8 coats, every leg was completely coated within 30 minutes. I just use a loaded foam brush and dabbed on the CPES very thick. By the time I get back to the first chair (3-4 minutes), the CPES has soaked in and I start the process all over again. It goes really fast at first, it just starts to slow down a bit after about 6 coats have soaked in. Then it will take 12-24 hours for it to fully cure.
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Cheese
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Koamolly said:
Well now that you bring it up, I am going to give it an extensive sniff test the next batch I mix. Smith's may have changed the formula to try to minimize the noxious odors. I know they've made at least 3 adjustments to the mixture since it's birth. Steve Smith is a physicist and an aerospace engineer so he might always be tweaking the product a little . Just a technical rendition of "Too many cooks in the kitchen". [smile]
Cheese
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Here's the sanded chaise. I actually like the natural wood look with some teak oil or some Surfix applied. However, the maintenance schedule for an older guy with this much furniture is overwhelming. So I decided to apply a teak sealer with UV-inhibitors. The sealant is Star Brite Teak Sealer in Natural Teak color.
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Here's the finished product...legs sealed, sliding trays fixed and reattached and the wheel assembly reinstalled with teak dowels. I'll easily trade less than 1 year of the natural look for 4-5 years of the sealed look. [big grin] As I mentioned earlier, only time will tell.
Next up are 2 teak entrance mats and the large club chairs and small table.
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Here's the finished product...legs sealed, sliding trays fixed and reattached and the wheel assembly reinstalled with teak dowels. I'll easily trade less than 1 year of the natural look for 4-5 years of the sealed look. [big grin] As I mentioned earlier, only time will tell.
Next up are 2 teak entrance mats and the large club chairs and small table.
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Cheese
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So, as we slowly muddle along, some of the refinishing is actually becoming easier. Here are a couple of teak door mats that I made maybe about 10 years ago before the price of teak skyrocketed. These things were cheap to execute but expensive to purchase.
I usually refinish these with Surfix every year so they have a maximum finished life span of 6-7 months. The Surfix finish is beautiful and soooo smooth but then you walk on the stuff every day with boots, shoes and dog paws, rain does its damage and the sun just cripples the surface.
Again, I'll try Star Brite Sealer and see what happens. [smile] This is really an ongoing experiment...as much as I hate that fact.
So, the 3 photos are; after 6 months of use, sanded with 180 grit and sealed with Star Brite which is really very close to the natural oiled finish.
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I usually refinish these with Surfix every year so they have a maximum finished life span of 6-7 months. The Surfix finish is beautiful and soooo smooth but then you walk on the stuff every day with boots, shoes and dog paws, rain does its damage and the sun just cripples the surface.
Again, I'll try Star Brite Sealer and see what happens. [smile] This is really an ongoing experiment...as much as I hate that fact.
So, the 3 photos are; after 6 months of use, sanded with 180 grit and sealed with Star Brite which is really very close to the natural oiled finish.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
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Cheese
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This is the small teak table that sits between the club chairs. It has been finished on all surfaces with Surfix Outdoors finish. The last application was about 12 months ago where it remained under chair covers on and off for the last 12 months.
And a note to remember...in my experience, Surfix has been a far better preservative than ANY OTHER surface preparation (never tried Osmo) that I've ever used...just list the options and I've used them all.
Notice the dirt, the streaks and every other disgusting element on an otherwise beautiful table. It's all the vertical elements subjected to water splash-back that really look bad. The top of the table after 2 coats of Surfix Outdoor doesn't look too bad but it's starting to lighten up and wear off.
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Sanded with 180/220 grit and Star Brite teak sealer applied to the legs and the core structure.
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And here's where the beauty resides. The top of the table is finished with 3 coats of Surfix Outdoor oil. The top surface is silky smooth and the color match of the other surfaces to the top of the table is darn close to perfect. But as I've said before, lets give it some time.
[attachimg=3]
And a note to remember...in my experience, Surfix has been a far better preservative than ANY OTHER surface preparation (never tried Osmo) that I've ever used...just list the options and I've used them all.
Notice the dirt, the streaks and every other disgusting element on an otherwise beautiful table. It's all the vertical elements subjected to water splash-back that really look bad. The top of the table after 2 coats of Surfix Outdoor doesn't look too bad but it's starting to lighten up and wear off.
[attachimg=1]
Sanded with 180/220 grit and Star Brite teak sealer applied to the legs and the core structure.
[attachimg=2]
And here's where the beauty resides. The top of the table is finished with 3 coats of Surfix Outdoor oil. The top surface is silky smooth and the color match of the other surfaces to the top of the table is darn close to perfect. But as I've said before, lets give it some time.
[attachimg=3]
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kevinculle
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Reading this thread has prompted deja vu for me...we just moved from a house we owned for 35 years. About 7 years ago I redid all the decks (3 of them) in Ipe. When early May came along the first week long stretch of decent weather signaled the annual season of Ipe servitude. Power wash for 2 days, then treat with brightener, then two or three days applying Ipe Oil. When finished they looked drop dead gorgeous, by late July still very good but losing some luster, in September you imagined they still looked decent until you moved the dock box holding furniture cushions and saw the glory that was there before a season of UV and weathering. Then winter, snowmelt and suddenly it was May servitude time again. We're pushing 70 now and the new house will have a composite deck built by guys a lot younger than me. Nice job on the teak!
Cheese
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kevinculle said:
I absolutely hear you...this yearly duty, like your deck, didn't seem so bad many, many years ago. [smile] Eighteen years ago I'd do the refinishing using a 1/4 sheet Milwaukee sander, a 1/2 sheet Milwaukee sander and a 5" Dewalt RO sander along with a 3M rubber sanding block (everyone has one of those at the bottom of a drawer)...and I considered myself well equipped for the task. [huh]
Time does change perspectives.
