Sunday, September 4, 2011

Progress

Three coats and a light sand between:


And I've managed to change the eBay photo into a format that will work with Blogger. So here's the "Before":


It doesn't show quite how badly weathered it was - some of the joins had opened up, but after three coats of oil, the timber has expanded and closed up the gaps quite a bit. I'm going to leave it (under cover, of course) for six months to allow the oil to really penetrate, then oil it again. After that, a yearly treatment should keep it in good condition.

In case you're wondering what I used....

We're huge fans of the Intergrain range of products. They're water-based, low-odour and Australian made. I used Nature's Timber Oil on this, in a clear finish. It nourishes the timber and brings out the natural colour, but you can get tinted versions as well. It smells strongly of eucalyptus, rather than some of the stinkier products around that smell strongly of mineral oils.

Coming together

I'm slo-o-owly completing my decorating plans. It's quite difficult when you have something (or several somethings) specific in mind though - finding just the right items at a reasonable price can be a challenge.

I've been watching eBay for ages, searching for the perfect carved timber daybed for our alfresco room. I've seen several, but have missed out on them when they've sold for way more than I was prepared to pay. So I was excited last week to win one at a rock-bottom bargain price... even if it did mean a three-hour round trip to collect it.

It was quite badly weathered, having been left outdoors in the sun, rain and wind for a year or so. It's teak, and was originally coated with a clear sealer and intended as an indoor furniture piece. I forgot to take a before photo (d'oh!) and can't get the eBay pic to load either, so this one was taken after I'd sanded and applied one coat of clear oil:


Two more coats of oil should see the timber in pretty good condition, and then a yearly oil after that will keep in in good nick - especially since we'll have it under cover. Then all I need to do is to make a seat pad for it, add some scatter cushions, and we'll have the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a cold drink on summer days.