Do I need to weather pre-oil merbau?

[bckm]

Hi all!

Complete newbie here.

I've bought some pre-oiled merbau decking wood to build an outdoor tabletop. I plan to cut it to size, drill it where required, then oil it before screwing it all together. I'm confused if the pre-oiled merbau still needs to be weathered, and if so, how do I do it (bearing in mind hot weather for the next few weeks)?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hello @bckm

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's awesome to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about weathering pre-oiled Merbau deking.

Weathering is a process where your pre-oiled panels are literally exposed to the weather. Another term used is "seasoning", which allows the timber to remove excess oil and tannins. A newly installed deck for example is usually allowed to season anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks depending on the weather. This step can be skipped by using Intergrain 1L UltraPrep Tannin And Oil Remover. It sounds like an interesting project. Any photo updates you can provide would be much appreciated. Although you are building a table, you can still apply the cleaning methods to your panels mentioned below

Here are some handy links:

• How to skip weathering your deck
• How to clean a deck

If you need further assistance, please let us know.  

Eric

[bckm]

Thanks Eric,

That's very helpful.

I've attached a photo of how I hope the end product would turn out.

I suppose my question is do I need to prepare or re-oil the merbau before installing it onto the table frame, or can I install the merbau directly now and re-oil again in 6-12 weeks. My main concerns are:

1) To protect against rain and sun (the previous table top suffered from a tragic case of wood rot)

2) To not stain the light coloured tiles.

I'm happy with the colour of the merbau as is and only plan to re-oil it to protect it from the elements.

I might also oil the freshly cut edges regardless - I read that that's quite important too.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks again in advance!

Brandon

[EricL]

Hi @bckm (Brandon)

If you are using pre-oiled panels, just make sure to oil any areas you've cut. If you're using 90 x 19mm L/M Decking Merbau SpecRite Pre Oiled the same procedures for weathering/seasoning still apply. You can install it now and oil it later. I suggest leaving the table on the grass or bare soil, don't leave it on the concrete driveway as the oil and tannin from the timber will stain both tiles and concrete. 

Here is a handy guide to the Merbau Pre Oiled panel: Merbau Pre Oiled Decking

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[bckm]

Thanks Eric, super helpful!