My wife has an Adirondack chair that her son made for her two years
ago. It is made of redwood and originally had a polyurethane (satin)
finish (no stain).

Since then, it has been on the back deck in the weather. The sides
that get the sun are completely faded to grey and the finish is almost
gone. I know redwood holds up well to the weather, but I am afraid
that it will slowly deteriorate and be ruined if we (I) don't do
something.

The question is, what is the best way to go?

We recently had the house painted and I asked the painter. He said to
use an oil and suggested "teak oil" (I think). He said it will have a
nice natural look. It will need to be redone avery 1-2 years, but is
easy to do with light sanding. Of course, we will need to sand the
polyurethane finish off first (ugh).

I have tried to talk her into painting it white, but she wants the
weathered look. (sigh)

What about a tougher polyurethane? Is there a marine version that is
more weather resistant?

Thanks for the help.


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[buffalo ny] we attempted this in 1990. we give up on the polyurethane
it never worked past the first winter when applied topside on chairs or
deck.
don't ruin the heirloom chair with excessive high pressure washing
either, although a trip to the self service carwash would be ok if you
kept your distance from the nozzle to the chair. better yet, send it
to a furniture restoration outfit to strip it and bring out its natural
color with their recommended finish. it could be a five to ten year
chair if it is heavy duty and assembled with stainless steel hardware.
or longer if you bring it indoors. unless the chairmaker has included
extensive curvature for lumbar support, the chair may be more of a
garden showpiece than a padded favorite might be, so give it a
prominent spot to rest in the garden of flowers as a lifetime
year-round oiled finish showpiece. the chair has a magical attraction
to many people, and its history is at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_chair

"LurfysMa" wrote in message

I have tried to talk her into painting it white, but she wants the
weathered look. (sigh)

What about a tougher polyurethane? Is there a marine version that is
more weather resistant?

Thanks for the help.

There are spar varnishes, such as Minwax Helmsman made for outdoor use.
I"ve used it with good results on outdoor furniture. I've also used Penofin
oil. The problem with oils now is that it may not absorb well since it
already had a coat of poly on it.

On Thu, 04 May 2006 10:17:00 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"LurfysMa" wrote in message

I have tried to talk her into painting it white, but she wants the
weathered look. (sigh)

What about a tougher polyurethane? Is there a marine version that is
more weather resistant?

Thanks for the help.

There are spar varnishes, such as Minwax Helmsman made for outdoor use.
I"ve used it with good results on outdoor furniture. I've also used Penofin
oil. The problem with oils now is that it may not absorb well since it
already had a coat of poly on it.

Does the polyurethane penetrate the wood or mostly sit on top? I am
wondering how much sanding I would need to do to get the poly offr do
I could use oil?

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"LurfysMa" wrote in message

Does the polyurethane penetrate the wood or mostly sit on top? I am
wondering how much sanding I would need to do to get the poly offr do
I could use oil?

It does not penetrate very much. The proper paint remover and/or sanding
should do it.

On Thu, 04 May 2006 15:48:39 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"LurfysMa" wrote in message

Does the polyurethane penetrate the wood or mostly sit on top? I am
wondering how much sanding I would need to do to get the poly offr do
I could use oil?

It does not penetrate very much. The proper paint remover and/or sanding
should do it.

It looks like the polyurethane is mostly gone on the sides that face
the sun. But on the back and underneath, it looks almost like it did
when it was new.

Will the paint remover damage the wood?

Is the damage more from the rain? the sun? ??? We live in Palo Alto.
neither temp nor humidity varies much.

Are there polyurethanes with UV protection? Does that matter?

Thanks

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"LurfysMa" wrote in message

Will the paint remover damage the wood?

Nope. In most cases, you paint or spray it on. let stand, scrape wiht a
putty knofe and it all comes off. Some sanding will be needed, sore requir
ea rinse after also.


Is the damage more from the rain? the sun? ??? We live in Palo Alto.
neither temp nor humidity varies much.

Are there polyurethanes with UV protection? Does that matter?

Sun can be nasty. Spar varnishes, such as Minwax Helmsman have UV
inhibitors.

On Fri, 05 May 2006 19:36:38 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"LurfysMa" wrote in message

Will the paint remover damage the wood?

Nope. In most cases, you paint or spray it on. let stand, scrape wiht a
putty knofe and it all comes off. Some sanding will be needed, sore requir
ea rinse after also.

OK, thanks

Is the damage more from the rain? the sun? ??? We live in Palo Alto.
neither temp nor humidity varies much.

Are there polyurethanes with UV protection? Does that matter?

Sun can be nasty. Spar varnishes, such as Minwax Helmsman have UV
inhibitors.

Someone said that spar varnishes tend to remain soft and sticky in the
heat and so are not a good choice for chairs as they will stick to
your butt. Is that a problem? It doesn't get super hot here (mostly
78-85 in the summer).

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