Great to learn from mistakes, as I have plenty of times! I have a side hobby of picking up outdoor furniture that people are getting rid of, refinishing it, and then giving it away. Couple things I’ve learned over the years: - Always sand it down to bare wood, chances are the piece will always have some sort of finish on it. - Helmsman oil based Spar is the BEST for outdoor projects. You will need to do at least three coats, and always always always even though it’s annoying, lightly sand in between coats. Otherwise the second and third coat have nothing to bond with. Happy refinishing!! 😊
Great video and very helpful. Thank you! Now that you are 3 years out from your project, can you report on how well it held up? Do you feel like to you have to do again yet as maintenance?
Great job! Thanks for sharing the honest ups and downs of this project. It helps to see the mistakes made to make us DIYers anticipate them for our own projects. 🙌
I’m currently redoing my patio furniture, I finished staining everything and tomorrow I’m going to use the spar urethane and so far the results are actually insane!!!
I also purchased some Amazon outdoor furniture and am in the process of sanding and refinishing it. With the spar urethane, sanding very lightly with 220 grit after the first layer worked, but you do have to be gentle. Ultimately, you just want to remove the “dust nubs” that inevitably hit the fresh clear coat. I learned this from another you tube video. I switched to a 600 grit sandpaper (vs 220) and very lightly sanded it between layers by hand (vs using an electric sander). So far so good. Other than that… great video! I appreciate all your input. I knew I got acacia wood… but searched for an oil-based teak stain to use to keep the color consistent. Oil-based stains are supposed to be best for outdoors (from what I’ve learned). If you decide to add more coats of spar urethane, try for 4-6 layers. It’s supposed to withstand the elements for 5-7 years with more layers. Sanding between layers wasn’t so bad. I’ll be thrilled if I get 2-3 years after this. I just got the furniture last August and already needed to re-finish it. I refinished a huge table and benches with the same technique and it looks amazing. Thanks again for sharing your video!
I have had outdoor teak wood furniture for over 25 years. It still looks new because I maintain it. I have a couple pieces of information for you. 1. Oil based stains last longer, but require sanding to remove. (Every 5 years.) 2. Water based stains do not last as long, but only require washing to prepare for treatment. (Every year.) 3. Use marine grade stains. (Cost 3 times Valspar stain. Long lasting color appearance. UV rated.) 4. Don't skip maintenance when due. (Makes the job more laborious. Unless you like silver/gray patina.) I purchase my Teak Stain from a boating supply. Quite a different product. Longer lasting. Holds color & my experience, it works superior to cheaper products. (Semco Teak Stain. Available in different finishing colors.) Take this for what it is worth to you. Nice job using what you have. Maybe next time you will consider what I have learned, the hard way!
Great video! Refreshing to see a video where the content is true and honest. Too many people covered up their mistake and just edit the video. I know these DIY videos takes much more time to create. Have a wonderful day and keep going!
Great video! I appreciate you letting us know mistakes and lessons learned! Your furniture looks great! I will doing my outdoor furniture restoration project soon too.
I am sitting here having just gone through the exact same thing. Thought I had teak. It was acacia. Made all the same mistakes too. Wish I had seen the video first lol
THANKYOU! This was so helpful, I’ve got similar acacia wood furniture from amazon and was thinking about doing a cheat stain on the existing finish... no way now! Will definitely consider your walkthrough as the results were fantastic
Learned a lot and feel better about my own mistakes refinishing a table. Ready to start it over. Wondering if I need to use wood prep, you seemed to suggest that was a good idea. Thanks!
Lol, yes. I definitely learned a lot from this project but it was totally worth it with how great they turned out. I actually love the orbital sander. I don’t have much experience with sanders but really enjoyed using this one and it made the job so much easier.
You really need to oil your furniture every few months to keep it protected from humidity, sun etc. It also helps to cover it when it rains. I recommend looking into how to care for wood whether it's indoors or out. Even wood indoors can look terrible when it is not properly maintained, but just using something like lemon oil , for example, on wood louvred doors can make a HUGE difference in how they look. Rencently I used lemon oil on old wood doors and indoor shutters (on a pass through window) that have been in place since the 70's. They went from horrible looking to practically looking like new, with no stains or anything, just the lemon oil. Never use harsh detergents on your wood furniture, they can dry them out. You want to use a mild dish soap to make soapy water., and make sure you don't soak the wood. Just lightly brush the sponge over the surface, and don't let it sit on the wood. Also, you should never use harsh brushes or steel wool on wood pieces. "Start out with perhaps the humblest of household cleaners: liquid dish soap. " Add a drop of liquid dish soap to a water-moistened cotton ball. Next, wipe the cotton ball on an inconspicuous part of the furniture, such as the inside of a chair leg. If the detergent mars the finish in your test area, then continue without the dish soap. If the test area shows no evidence of damage, it’s safe to proceed. Mix water and dish soap in a bucket and use this solution to sponge down the entire piece of furniture. Do not soak the wood; this is a common mistake. Instead, brush the sponge lightly over the surface and don’t let the liquid linger for long. Dry thoroughly." (Bob Vila) Make sure you are not using a wet cloth, only a dampened one. So if it needs to be cleaned, that's the way to do it so you don't cause damage to the wood. once it has been thoroughly dried, then you can apply oils or waxes to help protect it. This needs to be maintained regularly to keep the furniture/wood in good condition. You REALLY should not use a scrubbing brush on the wood. Although the focus of the following article is antique wood furniture, it holds true in general for treating wood furniture properly to maintain or restore it's beauty. They talk about wood that has been treated in various ways, some with finishes/shellac, others without. In any case, harsh scrubbing can scratch the wood, so you will want to be careful with what kinds of brushes you use. Also some wood should never have water used on it, but rather special oils that will both clean and polish. And OMG don't use steel wool on it!! www.invaluable.com/blog/an-invaluable-guide-to-cleaning-vintage-antique-wooden-furniture/ Some people say to use furniture polishes, but in my experience things like Pledge can RUIN the wood. The same wood doors and shutters that I restored using lemon oil, previously got dried out and looked awful from using a pledge furniture polish on them. They looked even worse than when we moved in, and that's saying something! The lemon oil made the wood look a LOT better, but it would have been even nicer if they had never been dried out and damaged from previous tenants who clearly did not know how to take care of them. Washing with too much water, or leaving water (or spills) on the furniture too long can cause warping, buckling etc. I hope this helps for those looking to keep their wood pieces nice over the long term.
So I just made this same mistake, literally this weekend....I have acacia wood furniture from wayfair and didn't realize that it already had a finish (thought it was the natural color, duh). When I cleaned and then applied oil it was a mess.....way worse than yours as i didnt sand any of it off. That being said I have decided to just let it weather naturally with the teak oil I applied. I will eventually just sand of the rest of the original finish and continue to naturally age w/o oil and just periodic washings. Got a good laugh watching this video this morning as made the exact mistakes. Wish I saw this Friday...live and learn. Thanks
I’d be interested to see if you did a cost justification for the restoration. If you bought the original set off Amazon, the price was low. The cost of the restoration materials can add up quickly.
I know it's been two years for you, but I am so glad this video is here! You have just saved me from so much extra work! I hope your furniture is still looking great - I love how it all turned out. (My patio furniture is also acacia, with the white cushions!)
I love it when people show their mistakes! So much can be learned from that. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Looks great - thanks for sharing your process !
Really appreciate your transparency acknowledging you mishaps and redos. Really helps.
Clear lucid sharing of her experience with empathy for newbies who will try it themselves. Thank you Quynh.
Great to learn from mistakes, as I have plenty of times! I have a side hobby of picking up outdoor furniture that people are getting rid of, refinishing it, and then giving it away. Couple things I’ve learned over the years:
- Always sand it down to bare wood, chances are the piece will always have some sort of finish on it.
- Helmsman oil based Spar is the BEST for outdoor projects. You will need to do at least three coats, and always always always even though it’s annoying, lightly sand in between coats. Otherwise the second and third coat have nothing to bond with.
Happy refinishing!! 😊
Great video and very helpful. Thank you! Now that you are 3 years out from your project, can you report on how well it held up? Do you feel like to you have to do again yet as maintenance?
Great job! Thanks for sharing the honest ups and downs of this project. It helps to see the mistakes made to make us DIYers anticipate them for our own projects. 🙌
I’m currently redoing my patio furniture, I finished staining everything and tomorrow I’m going to use the spar urethane and so far the results are actually insane!!!
I also purchased some Amazon outdoor furniture and am in the process of sanding and refinishing it.
With the spar urethane, sanding very lightly with 220 grit after the first layer worked, but you do have to be gentle. Ultimately, you just want to remove the “dust nubs” that inevitably hit the fresh clear coat. I learned this from another you tube video.
I switched to a 600 grit sandpaper (vs 220) and very lightly sanded it between layers by hand (vs using an electric sander).
So far so good.
Other than that… great video! I appreciate all your input.
I knew I got acacia wood… but searched for an oil-based teak stain to use to keep the color consistent.
Oil-based stains are supposed to be best for outdoors (from what I’ve learned).
If you decide to add more coats of spar urethane, try for 4-6 layers. It’s supposed to withstand the elements for 5-7 years with more layers. Sanding between layers wasn’t so bad.
I’ll be thrilled if I get 2-3 years after this.
I just got the furniture last August and already needed to re-finish it.
I refinished a huge table and benches with the same technique and it looks amazing.
Thanks again for sharing your video!
Great job. So many pro videos assume so much. Great for a beginner to watch.
Thanks for your transparency and honesty with your learning process! Very helpful!
Got me motivated to do our indoor cabinets!! Thank you Quynh!! Great job!!
This was great!! Thank you
You did a great job!
Extremely helpful!! You did a great job on your project! Now, I’m ready to tackle my own :)
I like the beginners perspective. Thanks
Thank you so much!! I have exactly the same furniture and decided to refresh its appearance. You saved me a lot of time.
Very Helpful! I have almost the same set.
Looks great 👏
Nice job! Thanks so much for sharing. 😊
I don’t have any outdoor furniture but this was so pleasant to watch.
eggbu77 thank you! 😊
I have had outdoor teak wood furniture for over 25 years. It still looks new because I maintain it. I have a couple pieces of information for you.
1. Oil based stains last longer, but require sanding to remove. (Every 5 years.)
2. Water based stains do not last as long, but only require washing to prepare for treatment. (Every year.)
3. Use marine grade stains. (Cost 3 times Valspar stain. Long lasting color appearance. UV rated.)
4. Don't skip maintenance when due. (Makes the job more laborious. Unless you like silver/gray patina.)
I purchase my Teak Stain from a boating supply. Quite a different product. Longer lasting. Holds color & my experience, it works superior to cheaper products. (Semco Teak Stain. Available in different finishing colors.)
Take this for what it is worth to you. Nice job using what you have. Maybe next time you will consider what I have learned, the hard way!
I think you did a great job 👍🏽
Excellent video - very helpful! You did a great job! Thanks so much!
Great video! Refreshing to see a video where the content is true and honest. Too many people covered up their mistake and just edit the video.
I know these DIY videos takes much more time to create. Have a wonderful day and keep going!
Great video! I appreciate you letting us know mistakes and lessons learned! Your furniture looks great! I will doing my outdoor furniture restoration project soon too.
Your mistakes keep us from making them. Thanks to Jordan for pitching in with the original prep.
I’m thinking to buy a new furniture 😅.. thanks this helps
I am sitting here having just gone through the exact same thing. Thought I had teak. It was acacia. Made all the same mistakes too. Wish I had seen the video first lol
THANKYOU! This was so helpful, I’ve got similar acacia wood furniture from amazon and was thinking about doing a cheat stain on the existing finish... no way now! Will definitely consider your walkthrough as the results were fantastic
Could you share the name of the furniture set? Great style. Thanks for sharing your project, learned a lot.
Awesome video
Learned a lot and feel better about my own mistakes refinishing a table. Ready to start it over. Wondering if I need to use wood prep, you seemed to suggest that was a good idea. Thanks!
Enjoyed learning along with you. Making mistakes along the way is half the fun hehe. I’m curious to know what you think of the Bosch orbital sander?
Lol, yes. I definitely learned a lot from this project but it was totally worth it with how great they turned out.
I actually love the orbital sander. I don’t have much experience with sanders but really enjoyed using this one and it made the job so much easier.
Very good Vid I am in the middle of same project Mistakes !!
That dude's outfit is on point. 👍 Oh yeah, good video too!
Hi. I love your outdoor set. Can you please send me the amazon link to get them. Very much appreciated 🙏🏻
Great video! I've done some of these projects as well and your info is awesome! Thank you!
What would conditioner should I use before staining?
You really need to oil your furniture every few months to keep it protected from humidity, sun etc.
It also helps to cover it when it rains. I recommend looking into how to care for wood whether
it's indoors or out. Even wood indoors can look terrible when it is not properly maintained,
but just using something like lemon oil , for example, on wood louvred doors can make a HUGE difference
in how they look. Rencently I used lemon oil on old wood doors and indoor shutters (on a pass through window)
that have been in place since the 70's. They went from horrible looking to practically looking like new, with no stains
or anything, just the lemon oil.
Never use harsh detergents on your wood furniture, they can dry them out. You want to use a mild dish soap to make soapy water.,
and make sure you don't soak the wood. Just lightly brush the sponge over the surface, and don't let it sit on the wood. Also,
you should never use harsh brushes or steel wool on wood pieces.
"Start out with perhaps the humblest of household cleaners: liquid dish soap.
" Add a drop of liquid dish soap to a water-moistened cotton ball. Next, wipe the cotton ball on an inconspicuous part of the furniture, such as the inside of a chair leg.
If the detergent mars the finish in your test area, then continue without the dish soap. If the test area shows no evidence of damage, it’s safe to proceed. Mix water and dish soap in a bucket and use this solution to sponge down the entire piece of furniture. Do not soak the wood; this is a common mistake. Instead, brush the sponge lightly over the surface and don’t let the liquid linger for long. Dry thoroughly." (Bob Vila)
Make sure you are not using a wet cloth, only a dampened one.
So if it needs to be cleaned, that's the way to do it so you don't cause damage to the wood. once it has been thoroughly dried, then you can apply oils or waxes to help
protect it. This needs to be maintained regularly to keep the furniture/wood in good condition. You REALLY should not use a scrubbing brush on the wood.
Although the focus of the following article is antique wood furniture, it holds true in general for treating wood furniture properly to maintain or restore it's beauty.
They talk about wood that has been treated in various ways, some with finishes/shellac, others without. In any case, harsh scrubbing can scratch the wood, so you
will want to be careful with what kinds of brushes you use. Also some wood should never have water used on it, but rather special oils that will both clean and polish.
And OMG don't use steel wool on it!!
www.invaluable.com/blog/an-invaluable-guide-to-cleaning-vintage-antique-wooden-furniture/
Some people say to use furniture polishes, but in my experience things like Pledge can RUIN the wood.
The same wood doors and shutters that I restored using lemon oil, previously got dried out
and looked awful from using a pledge furniture polish on them. They looked even worse
than when we moved in, and that's saying something! The lemon oil made the wood look
a LOT better, but it would have been even nicer if they had never been dried out and damaged
from previous tenants who clearly did not know how to take care of them.
Washing with too much water, or leaving water (or spills) on the furniture too long can cause warping, buckling etc.
I hope this helps for those looking to keep their wood pieces nice over the long term.
Nice job sister!
So I just made this same mistake, literally this weekend....I have acacia wood furniture from wayfair and didn't realize that it already had a finish (thought it was the natural color, duh). When I cleaned and then applied oil it was a mess.....way worse than yours as i didnt sand any of it off. That being said I have decided to just let it weather naturally with the teak oil I applied. I will eventually just sand of the rest of the original finish and continue to naturally age w/o oil and just periodic washings. Got a good laugh watching this video this morning as made the exact mistakes. Wish I saw this Friday...live and learn. Thanks
I’d be interested to see if you did a cost justification for the restoration. If you bought the original set off Amazon, the price was low. The cost of the restoration materials can add up quickly.
Can you share a link to the furniture set?
hi, how did you dry your cushions?
good morning, very beautiful
Beautiful job
Thank you! 😊
Do you have a link to the furniture set? 😅
How is this holding up?
What you should do is test for finish. You do this on every piece of furniture.
Do you have an amazon link to the furniture you have?
The exact set isn't available anymore since we got ours 2-3 years ago but this one is very similar: amzn.to/3dZk4hv
I know it's been two years for you, but I am so glad this video is here! You have just saved me from so much extra work! I hope your furniture is still looking great - I love how it all turned out. (My patio furniture is also acacia, with the white cushions!)
can i use a pressure washer?
Yay
Rất thú vị , chúc kênh của bạn luôn phát triển
Use a normal paint brush, 2 1/2 in. Much faster and easier
Brilliant but I’m exhausted for you.
Note to self: don’t buy wood patio furniture
What do you and your bf do for a living?
2 weeks 😅
Try to do it with Stodoys plans :)
I could provide you genuine teak A grade for you
Hot host
How's that dude with the cringe af USA outfit lol
Useless tips
👍👍🤙🤙