I think it's oak, but in any case, the elements (mostly the sun, judging by the pattern) have turned some of it a lifeless grey.
Simply sanding it doesn't restore the original colour.
Is there something else that will help improve it?
Thanks,
Daniele
You can buy various shades of "wood dye". B&Q etc. These days it's shit though as it's mostly is water based and soon fades.
FWIW, that is the natural colour of weathered oak. Whether you like it or not is another thing. I don't have any experience of suitable stains, mainly because I like the silver-grey.
Depends a bit on what colour you would like to achieve. Silver grey is the natural colour for weathered oak (and if its English oak, then its also durable and will last pretty much indefinitely if left in that state).
The colour will penetrate the surface several mm (much as the colour from ammonia fuming does), and so you would need to remove a fair amount of timber to get back to its freshly sawn appearance.
You could go darker with a dark oil stain or similar. You may be able to lighten it a bit with several applications of oxalic acid dissolved in warm water. (apply and scrub in, leave for a bit, wash off with clean water. Repeat a couple of times, then rinse clean at the end).
Actually I think it's teak, not oak, if that makes any difference.
And is there some kind of exterior varnish to be recommended that could be applied over that, to seal it and protect it longer?
Daniele
A bit "click baity" but maybe something useful here?
Tim
I probably wouldn't do it to a door, but for garden furniture, I pressure wash it and then apply some "teak protector" not "teak oil" just rub it on with a cloth.
I think we used to use a kind of thick oily substance that rubbed into the grain. the snag is that you needed to do it regularly from the start or what you found happens and unless you artificially colour it you are stuck as the elements get into the wood. Brian
Not really. Another also naturally durable wood with high natural oil content (although IIUC lower tannins than ok). Rot and insect resistant.
I would go with an oil finish of some kind that will sink in (unless you particularly want a glossy finish). You could combine the oil with a stain yo get a different colour. A film finish will tend to fail in time when exposed to the elements, and teak (being oily) can be difficult to get a good finish on.
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