When it comes to the question of outdoor wood stains, there is no right or wrong answer. The product you choose will depend on what you are painting, the current condition of the item to be painted and the finish you are looking for.
With so many wood elements in a garden, from decked areas to fencing and trellises, as well as pergolas, summerhouses, sheds and garden furniture, you need to consider what you need the stain to do. Do you want to replenish lost oils in wooden garden furniture? Perhaps you want to change the colour of your summerhouse while retaining a natural looking finish. Or do you want to change the colour of your picnic table?
Furniture oil is a good choice for enhancing the wood of old and new garden furniture alike. With older pieces, the oil will soak into the timber to replenish natural oils lost over time and through the effects of weather, and will help to prevent the wood from cracking and splitting.
If you prefer a translucent finish to your wooden garden furniture, our water-based wood stain and protector is a garden furniture paint with excellent eco-credentials, a low VOC (volatile organic compounds) rating, low odour and ingredients sourced from renewable resources. It can be applied with a paintbrush following the grain of the wood or, for larger surfaces such as fences and sheds, it can be applied with a sprayer. It will give your furniture an opaque, weatherproof finish with subsequent coats intensifying the colour and sheen, without changing the appearance of the wood. Our wood stain and protector is available in a range of heritage colours and natural wood colours.
It isn’t just old garden furniture that can be painted. New, bare softwood furniture can be painted or stained and will need little, if any, preparation beyond the surface being clean and dry. By contrast, new, hardwood garden furniture is usually sold pre-oiled. In this case, painting or staining is unnecessary, unless you want a darker or different colour finish. If you do want to apply a stain to new hardwood, you can either leave the furniture for several months, in order to ‘weather’, or wipe it down with methylated spirit before applying a garden furniture stain. Bear in mind here that the final finish will be affected by the existing colour.
Oiled wood garden furniture cannot be treated with water-based products without thorough stripping or sanding. If you want a completely different colour, consider using furniture paint after thorough preparation.
Decking stain offers a great way to protect and colour your decked areas and can also be used on garden furniture. Being designed for high traffic decked areas, decking stains are weather resistant and highly durable, and are available in a selection of natural wood colour finishes. Suitable for both soft and hardwoods, our decking stains contain UV filters and offer good wood penetration. As with garden furniture stain, decking stain should only be applied to previously oiled wood once it has been stripped and sanded.
It is recommended that all exterior wood stains be re-applied every 2-5 years as required.
At Witham Timber, we offer a selection of wood and decking stains, as well as shed and fence wood treatment, all of which can be applied with a paintbrush, roller or sprayer. If you have any queries regarding our range, email today and our expert staff will be happy to help.