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Hi I picked up these outdoors chairs and they seem to be a little worn down and dirty. I am wanting to keep the colouring of the rattan but want to know how to protect it. Is there something I can clean it with? Something to re varnish maybe? I'm not too sure wat to put on it. Any help with bri going the life back in to these chairs will be appreciated 🙏
Hello @Jsdelaney87,
A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community! It's wonderful to have you join us and we hope you find the site a great resource for useful D.I.Y. advice and inspiring ideas for improving your home and garden.
Many thanks for your question about restoring your rattan outdoor chairs. Our resident D.I.Y. expert @EricL should be able to assist with your query once he's back online later today. In the meantime, let me mention our creative members @Tara86 and @prettyliving to see if they might like to join the discussion and offer some ideas.
While waiting, you might also want to check out this Bunnings article on How to repair and protect different types of outdoor furniture (there's a section on rattan furniture).
Akanksha
Hi @Jsdelaney87,
It's great that @Akanksha has pointed you to a helpful article.
A thin coat of equal parts raw linseed oil and mineral turps can be used to provide some protection to your wicker furniture. Once applied, wipe off any excess oil. Allow to dry overnight, and apply one or two more coats so the fibres can absorb the liquid fully. Please remember that wicker is not designed to be in the elements for prolonged periods. It's more for an enclosed alfresco area that doesn't receive rain. I would not recommend a hard varnish as once it deteriorates in a few years; it will be next to impossible to remove and rejuvenate the furniture. Whereas the Tung oil only needs to be re-applied every few years.
There might be a fair amount of debris and discolouration between the weaves. I've had great success using Feast Watson Wood Clean on wicker and cane furniture. It brings the wicker up amazingly well. You can see my results in the image below.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
