How to stain my outdoor table?

kpreston

Hello,

I need help in my next steps to finish my first DIY project.

I have sanded my old indoor table back, and plan to use it as an outdoor table.

My questions are:

1. Do you know what type of wood the table is?

2. I am finding that since finishing the sanding it has turned a yellow colour, is there something I can do to prevent this?
3. Last photo is of my new indoor table, is it possible to add the black through the sanded table? If so, how? Should I?
4. Do I need to white wash the wood to stop from turning yellow?
5. What products and colour do I need to use to finish this project? The table will be outdoor and get direct afternoon sunlight in summer.

I will be adding black plastic chairs to the outdoor table.

Many thanks for any help you can provide.

Sanded tableSanded tableSanded tableThe look I would love

EricL

Hello @kpreston

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about painting your timber table.

I suspect that it might be pine as it usually takes on a pale yellow-orange tone after being exposed to sunlight. Your intuition is correct, in order to lessen the yellowing effect, the surface must be painted white, or you can use a white limewash to reduce its yellow tone. The black on your table is mixed in within the natural fibres of the wood, when it was sealed those darker fibres stood out as they absorbed the sealer.

You could get a similar effect if you used a stain and varnish, parts of the wood will go a little bit darker but nothing as dark as your table inside. There are a number of products that you can use on your timber table.

Here is a list of stain and varnish/furniture oil that can be used for outdoor furniture:

I propose staining the entire table in order to get a uniform finish. I suggest visiting the store and having a look at the stain and varnish sample board in the paint department so that you can see the actual finish of the stain. Once you've made your choice, I recommend testing the stain under your timber table to give you an idea of what the finish will look like. If you are happy with the results, you can then commit the entire table.

I also suggest having a quick look at this discussion - How to varnish over stained wood outdoor furniture? by @5Thumbs.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to restore wooden furniture

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @Nailbag and @JoeAzza for their opinion on the type of wood you have.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

JoeAzza

Hi @kpreston , May I suggest, before painting or staining, when you table is fully sanded, wipe the whole table a really wet sponge or cloth, let it dry, then re. Sand , 400 grit sandpaper, wetting and drying after sanding allows the wood fibres to raise and will give you a smooth finish, also lightly sand after each coat, just make sure you use exterior varnishes, I found that interior varnishes will turn yellow in time, I have used interior water based varnish in garage with roller door open most of each day ( allowing sunlight to get in ) that went yellow in time, I have used the same product indoors , where it didn’t go yellow.

Dave-1

Good Morning @kpreston

Thats a nice looking table and nice effort in sanding it back.

I dont like varnish as when it breaks down its a pain to bring back to start afresh. I prefer oiling the timber and have found the more coats of oil the darker the timber will become. As @JoeAzza mentions about sanding it back to get a smooth finish I suggest the same to reduce that yellow hue and then oil away.

Here is my table that I oiled Dining table build and seats reupholstering and I used decking oil on the surface Looking back I only used two coats of oil and have not recoated since 2014 Far out maybe I should recoat it but it dosnt need it. It has darked over the years. I do remember the second coat taking ages to soak in and dry and it being very strong on the nose. If you did this for your table then a reoil every year would keep it from discolouring.

Dave

Nailbag

Hi @kpreston the timber looks to be a mix of laminated hardwoods. The timber look your wanting to achieve is spotted gum which, is vastly different. It has natural black veins running through it with the small dots being from wood Beatles. Thats how you know genuine spotted gum from cheap imports or vendors passing other cheaper species off.

As the others have mentioned, the yellowing is caused by an internal finish being exposed to external elements as @EricL & @JoeAzza mentioned. As @Dave-1 has done before as, you could add some black tint to a spotted gum decking oil which may give a close enough result which, you could test on the underside. I've actually done this myself years ago on a timber Bench seat I made for an old spotted gum outdoor table.

I'm about to do this exact process tomorrow on a Kooboodle timber bench top I've installed in a laundry Reno. In preparing the bench top, give it a light sand with 240G paper on a cork block in the direction of the grain, then move to a 400G. There is no need to use a damp cloth to clean the fine dust as these tack cloths work a treat. I used them between coats of high-gloss doors with no need to wait for the dampness to dry or any risk of possible stains.

@EricL mentioned that after the initial coat the fine timber fibres will rise leaving a furry finish so , again use the 240G but very lightly, then again lightly with the 400G. Then dust off and do another coat. This time the furry will be much finer, so highly use the 400G until it feels nice and smooth. Being an outdoor table I would give it another coat. Once dry you can use a 1200g pad very lightly, then yep one more and then no sanding. The sides and legs just go 3 coats. It might seam excessive, but will extend the time between having to give it a touch up.

Nailbag

kpreston

This was the end result of my table.

After searching for the right colour stain, I decided to go with Cabot's 1L Satin Water Based Exterior Clear (https://www.bunnings.com.au/cabot-s-1l-satin-water-based-exterior-clear_p0395005?region_id=118171&ga...

I am very happy with the finish. I did 3 coats, lightly sanding in between each coat.

JacobZ

Hi @kpreston,

Nice work!

It looks fantastic and I'm sure many happy memories will be made around it in the future.

Thank you for sharing your finished project.

Jacob

Dave-1

Good afternoon @kpreston

That looks like a nice job! Very stylish and cleanlines.

Is there anything you would switch out or change if you did another piece?

Now all you need is an outrside party!

Dave

kpreston

I probably wouldn't take a year to start and finish it! I think because I took so long I had to do a lot of extra sanding as the timber yellowed waiting for me to work on it/make decisions! Hahaha!

I am hoping it doesn't yellow too much, but we will see how it goes.