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Sep 10, 2013

Refinished Deck Furniture


Now with the deck cleaned, we could get our outdoor furniture back out there. Yes, back out there. Over the summer I have been slowly stripping the wood, then staining and sealing it. I did all of the sanding on the deck, but once each piece was stripped I took it to the garage for refinishing. So the deck has been a bit empty for the last two months.

The furniture came in a honey/reddish tone with beige seat cushions.  Kind of bland and vanilla, but it did look nice when it was dressed up with pillows and throws.

deck furniture

That served us well for a couple of years, but the elements took their toll on the finish and it was starting to peel. The wood that was no longer sealed started to weather in an uneven way, so that we had grey patches mixed with the original honey colour. And a bit of mildew.



I booked a couple of vacation days and got to work removing all of the stain and whatnot. Lucky for me it ended up being two gorgeous days in the high twenties (Celsius) where I could work on my tan while I sanded the heck out of that furniture. I took each piece right down to raw wood. I even discovered that the top of the coffee table was cedar (as I tried unsuccessfully to remove the red tone. Duh!)


Here's my sleepy helper. She's not a fan of the noise. But she matches the Ridgid colours - new mascot perhaps?



Once everything was completely sanded and wiped down, I stained each piece with two coats of Minwax stain in Red Mahogany. Just gorgeous. If these pieces were inside my house I would have just waxed them to a soft glow and let them be, but because they had to withstand our ever-changing weather, I needed to apply polyurethane. Three coats just to be safe.

With all those slats there was a lot of drip-through to the other side. By the time I got to the second piece I'd learned it was best to apply a coat to the underside, flip it over while wet, and then wipe off the drips on the top side. Then when you apply the poly to the top, you can wipe the drips underneath, but if you miss a couple it's no big deal because no one will see them. That's my theory anyway. And if you're that person looking under my furniture: just stop it right now.

refinished deck furniture

refinished deck furniture

Also, you'll get a smoother finish if you sand between coats with the highest grit paper you have. Some people are lucky and don't need to, but working in our garage, which isn't pristine, there were always a few rough spots from dust and/or bubbles. But if you sand after the first and second coats, your third coat should be nice and smooth.

refinished deck furniture

Along with the loveseat, chairs, and coffee table that came in a set, I also refinished the two side tables so that the entire area is cohesive. In fact, they are the same shade as the fold-down bar we made last year. How's that for tying things together? There is a method in my madness.

refinished deck furniture

The contrast between the wood and the cushions is much more noticeable now. It stops those big squares and rectangles of beige from looking blah and invisible. I replaced the green and blue accents from before with brown and orange. Cute little lumbar pillows, right? And it all coordinates with the umbrella now, which was kind of the odd man out before.

refinished deck furniture

I so dig the glossy look of the tables. And I'm not normally a fan of polyurethane - just check out my numerous other posts about waxing refinished furniture for proof. I watched the rain bead on the tabletop the other day and just smiled.

refinished deck furniture

refinished deck furniture

I set up the area with a little impromptu party - pickles, cheese, salami, etc. - and fizzy drinks of course. And then took a million artsy pictures of the glasses.

refinished deck furniture

refinished deck furniture

In fact, I took so long that the other three "people" living in the house decided to start the party without me.

refinished deck furniture
refinished deck furniture

 But they're so cute, how could I be mad?


Cheers!







14 comments:

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

They look brand new! Love it :)

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

They look great! Ours need a little work as well - will have to bookmark!

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Thanks! Be prepared for sanding all those nooks and crannies!

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Wow, what a difference! Looks brand new...beautiful!
Thanks so much for linking up @ Inspire Me Fridays this week Barb!


Maria
@Five Simple Things

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

What is the stripe fabric you used - it's perfect for my living room.

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

I need to do this Barb. You've inspired me. I love your party guests! They've made themselves right at home! LOL I'm featuring this at this week's Thriving on Thursday. Thanks for linking up!


Anne @ Domesblissity xx

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Thanks, Anne - that's awesome!

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Do you mean the orange & brown pillows? I didn't make those - I bought them from our local grocery store, The Superstore (Real Canadian Superstore).

I'm not sure if you're in Canada, or near the border, but all of the stores carry the same items.

If you mean the green striped pillows from the before shot - I made those ones using teatowels from the dollar store. Here is the link if you'd like instructions: http://turtlesandtails.blogspot.ca/2012/04/terrycloth-pillows.html

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Thanks, Maria!

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Thanks, Kim - they feel brand new too!

Juj312 said...

Hi Barb - I know this isn't a recent post, but I just stumbled across it. I actually have a non-furniture question (although you did a great job with the refinishing and they look amazing!!): how do you have that umbrella attached to your fence post? Something similar would work wonders on a spot in our yard, and I was curious about it. :-) Thanks!

Juj312 said...

Hi Barb - I know this isn't a recent post, but I just stumbled across it. I actually have a non-furniture question (although you did a great job with the refinishing and they look amazing!!): how do you have that umbrella attached to your fence post? Something similar would work wonders on a spot in our yard, and I was curious about it. :-) Thanks!

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Hi,

We made a base out of 3 pieces of 2 x 10, cut into different sized squares and stacked like a pyramid, with a hole for the umbrella pole drilled down through the middle. We then screwed a 2-hole pipe strap/clamp to the side of the top railing. You set the umbrella against the railing, then screw the clamp around it. Usually we can loosen just one side and slide the pole out when we need to put it away and the clamp stays in place until the following year.

You can even get pipe clamps that are lined with felt if you're worried about scratching the pole. Neat, right?

Barb @ Turtles and Tails said...

Great job they look brand new! Thanks for linking up on Made in a Day!
Kim

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