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I'm restoring an old steamed-dowel teak table and chairs . I oil soaped it , and am staining with minwax . Should I put clear acrylic over the stain ?

I'm restoring an old steamed-dowel teak table and chairs . I oil soaped it , and am staining with minwax . Should I put clear acrylic over the stain ?

(post is archived)

[–] [deleted] 8 pts

I would avoid hard shell finishes on teak, they tend to peel off, especially since you put a non-evaporating oil stain on there. If you want a gloss finish you should use teak or tung oil, or a chemically modified tung oil product like Waterlox. You can get Waterlox from the Bald Guy's site, just FYI. It's my #1 choice for a gloss penetrating oil finish.

[–] [deleted] 6 pts

Agreed. Teak is already a weatherproof wood and fairly oily. Oils are the best finish for it.

[–] 0 pt

It's not really gloss I'm going for as much as preseravation . The unit is 60yrs old , I had it in a college house 19 yrs ago , and its been in a non climate controlled storage for 16 years . I've to replace the center structures in the chairs with poplar dowels .

[–] 0 pt

I was thinking about shellacing the thing .

[–] [deleted] 2 pts

Shellac isn't very weather proof, and it is a hard shell as well. I would stay with a penetrating oil type of product. I think you can get both tung and teak oil at Home Depot or Lowes, etc. Probably even Walmart. Teak oil is more of a pure penetrant and you generally have to buff to get a gloss. It is also more expensive than tung oil, but it sounds like a quart will do what you have in mind with either product so it shouldn't be much difference.

[–] 1 pt

Also , this will be an interior piece .

The biggest enemy to teak is sun and heat. It’s very weatherproof just from its natural oils, that’s why it is used so extensively in the marine industry. If it has been inside it might dry out a little but I would think most of the damage or dryness would be superficial. Teak oil is the right answer. I had a swimstep on a ski boat that I thought was a write off. Teak oil made it just like new. You would be surprised at how far a small bottle of oil lasts. The previous owner had put some sort of hard lacquer over it and it just peeled of in long strips so I would avoid that route.

[–] 0 pt

So I can teak oil after the penetrating stain ?

[–] 2 pts

Bee wax is underated, it leaves a beautiful shine when buffed and seals the wood impeccably.

Get a block of unbleached beeswax, use a cheese grater on it, fill a small Mason jar. Then mix it with acetone, depending on your mix you can make it liquid enough to brush on or make a paste to rub in, I recommend the later. Buff after every coat.

Or... rub the block of pure wax all over then use a propane torch to liquify it so it penetrates, repeat, then just buff the last coat.

[–] 0 pt

Your beewax method sounds fantastic but I'm not submitting the table to a museum . Thank you though .

[–] 1 pt

Many in my family were wood workers and furniture makers. They used a mixture of equal amounts of linseed oil, pumice, and paraffin. Heated it till it almost burned their fingers and hand rubbed until the mixture was deeply embedded. It will not need to be retreated. Awesome soft finishes.

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That all sounds great . I didn't build this table , and I am learning as I go . I learned a lot today ; thank you .

[–] 1 pt

No. You don't varnish over oil.

[–] 1 pt

I would use clear polyurethane.

[–] 1 pt

Can you use Danish Oil on teak? It brings out the grain and waterproofs but doesn't have that hard varnished look. Is also very easy to apply with a rag.

[–] 1 pt

why do people feel they have to stain everything?

[–] 1 pt

Because it looks cool and brings out the grain of the wood.

[–] 0 pt

depends on the wood and the stain

[–] 1 pt (edited )

Might be just me, but i'd avoid hard finishes.

Have you looked at Danish Oil? Give a beautiful satin finish when you sand it in with 400-60 grit wet/dry.

[–] 0 pt

Hey I don't know how the comment replies work on poal . But I'm 'finished' with my table and will share pics if anyone gives a shit .