How To – Refinish And Stain Outdoor Wood Bench

In this HowTo we will cover the basic steps of restaining an outside bench that has had its finish ruined by the elements.

There are 4 pages to this HowTo

To perform the work you will need.

Electric Sander
1 Pack of assorted Sandpaper
Paint Scraper
Good Quality Nylon Brush
Brush Cleaner
Small Can Of Wood Stain
Small Can Of Urethane Sealer
Spray Can of Flat Black Paint
Masking Tape
Old News Paper
Plastic Tarp

Cost for restoring this bench will be about $20 not including the cost of Tools.

Restoring stained finishes is a job that most people can do with just a few tools and a little work.

Some of the problems you may have when working with wood products include deterioration of the wood including rotting, cracking, scratches and gouges. In our project we have an additional problem of discoloration of the wood due to water penetration which caused black stains.

In this howto we will not cover the preparation step to remove the black staining of the wood but if you are working on an outside project with this problem you will need to take this initial step. Scrape away any varnish or coating around the blackened area and then use a 50% bleach to water solution to bleach out the stain. This process will take a day and should be done in a shaded area so the bleach will stay on the stain and not evaporate. If you have strong staining it may take 2 or 3 applications of bleach to remove the discoloration. When finished removing the stain the wood will not be the same as the surrounding (it will look slightly gray) area but it will be in a condition to restain or paint. This will usually mean that some type of stain needs to be applied because a transparent gloss finish will still show the discoloration.

Once we have removed the staining from water damage we are ready to begin removing the old finish.

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