Haaalllo there my crafty friends! We are trying to get back into the swing of summer projects after all the vacationing we have been doing. There’s some progress happening in the kitchen (as I sit here typing with my hair full of sanded bits from my ceiling) but nothing really that I can show. Maybe next week?
Last week, in my usual schizophrenic way, I decided that I couldn’t go another minute without fixing our outdoor furniture. Yes, I did have about six other irons in the fire, so to speak, but I got another splinter while we were eating dinner on Sunday. It was not my first splinter, so the outdoor furniture moved up on my list of to-dos.
When we got the furniture last year I waterproofed it right away, but an entire year baking in the hot California sun had made our furniture brittle and thirsty! When I had waterproofed it last year I really liked the darker initial color, so I decided to stain the furniture to get that color that had faded out…back.
After sanding everything down, I used the MinWax Wood Conditioner just to give the wood a little extra love. The wood conditioner is really easy to apply – it is thin and you just apply it with a paintbrush.
It dries really quickly and you are supposed to apply your stain within 2 hours of the wood conditioner. So I broke out the stain. I used the MinWax Gel Stain in the Light Cherry stain. This too is very easy to apply – and the gel consistency means no drips, which is very good for me since I tend to be a messy painter/stainer!
So I was very pleased with the color. I like that it has a little bit of teak/cherry redness to it and makes it pop out on the courtyard. BUT, I couldn’t leave it as is. We needed some polyurethane to protect the stain and wood. My new friend in the paint department at Ganahl Lumber assured me that I should use this marine polyurethane because it is the varnish they use on boats and it will last for a few years and I will not have to do this again next year. Sold.
I’m not completely sold on the glossiness of the poly yet, though. I like the more matte/satin finishes generally, and this one is very shiny. But, I think it will dull down in just a few weeks in our hot sun and if it saves me a few days next year…I think I can live with the gloss.
Anyone else had any adventures in outdoor staining lately?
I am all for saving time in the future. The table looks awesome. Yeah, for no more splinters!!
Great job Bean..Looks great.
That looks fabulous! It makes me want to re-stain my deck…and find the perfect outdoor furniture, since currently my deck is just empty space…
And I just realized I never answered you last week… I have a Brother PE770, and all a Brother SE450. The SE450 isa sewing/embroidery combo, and has a pretty small hoop size, which is why I bought the upgrade. I would recommend just going straight to the 770 if you ever get one…it’s a great machine and can do up to 5×7 designs. I love mine and can’t imagine what I ever did without it!