Restoring Garden Furniture

Hi we have inherited a Royal Craft garden set and have been restoring it.  We have washed, rubbed it down and rubbed Linseed onto the wood.  There are areas which were really dry but overall it is in good condition but not sure if Linseed oil is the correct oil to use and also should we be using something that is weather proof.  What do you guys think would be grateful for any advice.

regards

Chris 

Teak Oil is the better option for keeping the wood in good nick.

Linseed Oil just forms a hard coat on the wood. Teak is better absorbed and keeps the wood in better condition throughout rather than just the outer barrier linseed gives (hard coat).

Thanks for your quick response, we should have asked before we did all that hardwork today in the heat .  Do you think it would be OK to give it another coat of Teak oil now.

regards

Chris

Being honest, it's probably better all round to remove the linseed completely and start again using teak oil.

Putting the teak over the lineseed will probably result in the sticky non-drying mess linseed can be prone to.

To remove you'll need turpentine, soapy water and rags.

Pour some turps on a rag and apply to the wood using a circular motion. When you see the Linseed statrting to dissolve leave it sit for around 20minutes for the turps to do it's work.

After 20 mins wash the whole lot down with warm soapy water, scraping off any remaining linseed with a rag.

Let it all dry out again, then redo with teak oil.  

Start with two coats, applied at least 6 hours apart (preferably overnight).

Then coat again after 4 months.  You can then move to an annual routine (or as required), personnally I give my stuff a coat in the spring as they come out to play and again before I put them to bed at the end of the season.

Have fun

Seems a shame to tell you now but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teak_furniture

All we do with ours is rub it over occasionally with a stiff brush - it's weathered to a lovely silvery colour rather than that 'orange' of new teak, and should last for years outside in the garden 

It is not necessary to use teak oil or varnish as these will not extend the life of your garden furniture and are purely cosmetic. However, if you wish to preserve the as new appearance of your garden furniture the application of teak oil when the furniture is new will give a more lustre finish than leaving untouched. Please ensure you follow the manufacturer's instructions as usually this is a three stage process. Make sure the timber is completely dry when you apply the teak oil, otherwise the furniture will blacken.