best treatment for garden furniture

[seneca]

I've recently bought some garden furniture from the forest garden range (an arbour, arch etc.) As the weather is turning for the worst, is it worth me treating them now or waiting until next year? Also, what is the best treatment for wooden furniture? (it's not hardwood, not sure if it's pressurised or treated) stains, paint, preservers? Any tips on applying it in those fiddly areas? brush, sponge etc.

any advice would be much appreciated. thanks.

 

[oilman]

Linseed or tung oil. Not boiled, danish, teak or any other fancy stuff, just plain raw is fine. If using linseed, you can get a linseed wax to finish with.

Oil is applied daily for the first week, weekly for the first month, then monthly for the rest of the year. Heating it up with a hot air gun will make it penetrate more without having to use thinners.

All this is pointless unless it is just plain wood. If it has some sort of sealer on it, there's no point, hence it's pointless.

 

[JohnD]

... then monthly for the rest of the year. ...

Do you mean monthly, every month, every year?

Don't know if I could be bothered.

 

[seneca]

sounds a bit excessive oilman. I was just looking for a once yearly application; something like cuprinol or ronseal. Just needed to know which did a good job. I'll try your linseed treatment on my cricket bat!

 

[oilman]

At the end of the first year you can do it once a year. So it will eventually be once a year. For poison based chemicals you will have to keep people away from it, and it will stink until the solvent dries. With oil, it'll dry in a day with very little smell, and if some little person gets near it when it's wet, no problem.