Teak oil question

[AJB Temple]

I have quite a lot of teak furniture accumulated over quite a long time (20 chairs, three tables, three or four benches, three side tables and some other stuff) that requires a tidy up. Plus some cold frames (cedar) and some outdoor trestles. It's all been jet washed, treated with my home made anti fungal mix, repairs done and is now getting some wood nourishment. The oldest bench I have had for 35 years (high quality construction and genuine teak really lasts even kept outside) and I would like it all to last another decade or two. In future it will be kept undercover in winter.

Preamble over - I am applying teak oil this year. To do this amount of outdoor furniture looks as if it can easily use 25 litres of brushed on teak oil and takes ages. Does anyone know if this can be applied with a hand pump sprayer (eg a 10 litre one used for spraying garden fertiliser etc) without knackering it?

Secondly, I am aware that teak oil is largely boiled linseed oil with tung oil added and, in better quality ones, UV inhibitors. Some are thinned with a spirit thinner. Can anyone point me in the direction of a recommended recipe please as I am tempted to try my own mix (having got through 5 litres of teak oil today at an alarming rate).

Thanks, Adrian

 

[RogerS]

You mention 'wood nourishment', Adrian. Can you be more specific, please?

If it was bare wood then based on my experience of using sLOP (linseed oil paint), the first coat is a thinned down paint with 50% paint, 35% linseed oil and 15% turpentine (IIRC). ratios not critical. This is because you want the oil to penetrate a good depth and thinning it down will do exactly that.

But if you've already covered your wood with something then that will act as a barrier to the above. Plus make it take forever and a day to dry. Anything with linseed oil in it needs UV light to 'go off' - for want of a better term.

I hate sLOP.

 

[AJB Temple]

It was a loose term. Most of the furniture is in good nick, but some had spent two winters under some conifers in a seating area down the garden, and was covered in lichen. Jet washing it was a bit harsh, and so I oiled it to restore a level of protection. I don't want to paint the wood and I am not worried about preserving colour.

The wood soaked the oil up like a sponge and the first chairs I treated at lunchtime were dry by the end of the afternoon. I am not looking for a "finish" as such on this first lot, just some degree of protection against rot and the wood going brittle in the heat of summer. The teak oil used was rather thin I felt.

 

[RogerS]

.... The teak oil used was rather thin I felt.

But I think that that is exactly what you want on bare wood.

 

[AJB Temple]

Yes. It worked well and there was very little waste. However, Mrs AJBT considers that she wants this job done every year and it is at best £20 for 5 litres, and that has only done six chairs and a table. So I an thinking I need a drum of the stuff and possibly could make my own mix. Spraying it would be ideal as vastly quicker - but I only have one suitable pressure sprayer and worry it will a) not cope with oil and b) I will get told off for knackering it. Life is full of these dilemmas currently.

 

[RogerS]

Yes. It worked well and there was very little waste. However, Mrs AJBT considers that she wants this job done every year and it is at best £20 for 5 litres, and that has only done six chairs and a table. So I an thinking I need a drum of the stuff and possibly could make my own mix. Spraying it would be ideal as vastly quicker - but I only have one suitable pressure sprayer and worry it will a) not cope with oil and b) I will get told off for knackering it. Life is full of these dilemmas currently.

Tell her that, after your extensive web research, too frequent application means that the following coat won't dry properly and uniformly for a long time and so the chances of her getting it on her clothes will be very high. So best done on an 'as needed' basis.

I think spraying will give you a lot of waste due to over-spray TBH. I'd be inclined to wipe it on using a micro-fibre cloth.

 

[AJB Temple]

Much too fiddly and slow to use a cloth Roger. Lots of nooks and crannies.I think I will have a bash at making up my own mix of linseed oil (I've found 25 litre drum for £40) and Tung Oil. Just researching UV inhibitor. Decided to have a go with one of my sprayers that claims to be able to spray fence finishes. Brass lance etc so should clean out with some Fairy.

 

[ScaredyCat]

What about one of those cheap sprayers on amazon?

As long as you flush it through it should last a bit, but worst case £30 is gone, but it should only take you 5 minutes to do all your garden furnture.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Back in lockdown #1 I set about our garden bench and the greenhouse. But ran out of Teak oil. I slopped on a mix of raw linseed oil (from an equine suppliers !) thinned with natural turpentine I had to hand. It looks OK and offers a measure of protection, but then I'm not that discerning and it has not had a full year yet outdoors.

Turpentine seems to have the ability to affect all sorts of rubber/plastic. But agrochemicals can be really aggressive too, so if you are lucky the garden sprayer might have Viton seals which are more likely to survive. Wouldn't stake my life on it though.

 

[Lurker]

Slight diversion...
Isn’t real turps massively expensive?
Or am I looking in the wrong place for it.