Ipe and Balau furniture staining

[nbrahm 14]

Hi Pros,

I just purchased two new sets of outdoor furniture- one Ipe, one Balau (yellow Shorea). Balau is delivered "naked"; Ipe is delivered "with a very thin coat of lindseed oil". The (two different) manufacturers suggest 2 weeks "aging" for the naked Balau; 30-60 days for the Ipe. I have narrowed my search down to these stains to do myself (in the order I'm interested, at this point):

Woodrich Hardwood

Semco Teak Sealer (says "solvent-based, does not contain silicone, varnish, polymers or exotic oils")

Sikkens Semi-trans SRD

Sikkens SRD

Penofin Hardwood

A high-end teak furniture manufacturer's product (contains "water, synthetic polymer, pigment and UV protectant)

I have three questions:

1) I am looking for a stain that will not be difficult to put on (no "painter's touch" needed). Ideally, spraying it on and then rubbing with a cloth. Which stains would be best for this, or can I simply not avoid brushing (or, at least, backbrushing after a spray)?

2) What is the difference between transparent, semi-transparent and translucent stains? Which should I be most interested in for tropical hardwood furniture?

3) Which of the above do * you * recommend in terms of quality/performance, keeping in mind I'm a DIYer? If you have a favorite color for Ipe and/or Balau with your recommended stain, I will trust you.

Thank you for any help on this (I TRULY appreciate it).

Edited April 24, 2011 by nbrahm

[Doug Black 18]

I would start out with a teak oil like Miniwax teak oil and see how that goes.

The darker the stain the more UV protection is offers. With the wood you have, others may disagree, but I don't think a dark or tinted stain is necessarily required.

I have a lot of experience cleaning teak and hardwood furniture but little in staining them so sorry I can't be of more help.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We use Armstrong Clark on Teak and Balau. I have furniture of both species on my own deck, and that is what they get. I like the color Amber. Plenty of pigment and protection. No need to use a dark color if you prefer not to.

Beth

[nbrahm 14]

Thanks you both very much for your replies!

Beth, last questions, I promise!

I went to A/Cs site and I don't see any "Amber" color....for Transparent I see Natural, Cedar and Redwood...Semi-Trans I see Sierra Redwood, Driftwood, Rustic Brown and Cedar Semi. I assume you mean Cedar? Should I use Transparent or Semi-Transparent? I'm inclined to go with the easier-to-apply of the two, if there is one.

Also, does A/C leave a "film" above the surface due to the drying oil? Or is the drying oil absorbed, too, just not as much as the non-drying.

Lastly, can I get away with a plastic spray bottle and rubbing with a rag (sorry, this may be a total rookie question!). Spraying and backbrushing? Or can I not escape just brushing with a "painter's touch"? Thanks again for your help!

Edited April 26, 2011 by nbrahm

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Sorry - amber is a contractor only color. My bad. Closest color match is Cedar-semi-transparent. You won't get any more film with it than you will the others you mentioned, in fact you will get less with it due to the non-drying oil.

Beth

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Sorry, but I have to make a correction here.

"Darkness" of the stain has no more protection factor than a lighter stain.

Opacity is what constitutes protection. This is determined by the pigment level or solid content.

Opacity in terms of how much light can pass through. Toners offer the least opacity. Semi transparent has higher opacity(translucent:meaning light will pass, falls into this category), then there is semi solid which has even more. Solid color stains (looks like paint and you cannot see the wood beneath it) are totally opaque. This means no light can pass through it, so it offers the best protection from UV light which is what causes wood to turn grey, crack and degrade.

To answer the initial question of this thread, there will be back brushing or wiping necessary with the products you have listed.

My advice to your question is going to be redirected towards maintenance. Applying these products is easy enough, the problems start when it comes time to do it again. How hard is is going to be to clean? Will it color shift (change color either lighter or darker as it ages)? This is an issue because future applications may not match what remains on the wood.

This will require the need to remove the product with a stripping chemical. For a diy'er it may be more than you are willing to take on based upon the question you posed regarding difficulty.

My suggestion is to use an oil based product like Armstrong which is easy to maintain and cleans up easily and is easier to maintain on teak which will require annual service.

Rod!~

[nbrahm 14]

Thanks everyone...I will be back to post pictures of the results, but seeing as I'm going to age the Ipe for a year (then clean and neutralize first) it might be a while ;) If I do the Balau sooner I'll post those, too.

[nbrahm 14]

The project is complete- here are pictures! I ended up going with a full cleaning with EFC-38, neutralized with Citralic and applied Woodrich Hardwood Wiping Stain (Ameretto color) with a painter's mitt, let it soak in for about 15 minutes and wiped with an old sweatshirt cut up into rags. Here are the pictures and thank you to everyone on this forum for their help, it looks great!

[James 624]

Looks great. If you can cover the furniture when not in use you'll get much more life out of a finish or cover the table and tip the chairs against the table.

[bigchaz 157]

Very nice work! Furniture is a PITA but you def nailed it on that one

[Celeste 341]

Beautiful!!!

[Ethen 14]

Really done nice job there man....looking good!

Thanks for sharing this.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Very sharp indeed!