Scrub & Stain

This Sunday was the perfect day to get our patio furniture stained.  We'd been waiting for the rainy weather that hit us earlier this month to pass.  Finally Sunday was the perfect weather for getting it done!  Not too hot and sunny, not too cold and wet.  We have had this patio furniture for a few years, it was given to Tate as a gift after the original owners were planning to throw it away.  Over the years the wood took a beating with the weather and the table and chairs now looked awful and needed a new staining badly.  Neither of us were that optimistic that the wood would return to it's original glory, but we figured we'd give it a try... especially considering the cost of buying new patio furniture.  Yikes, that stuff is expensive!

A few weeks back we had picked up some wood cleaner, a scrub brush, and some cedar toned wood stain at Home Depot.  We got a little more expensive stain that is supposed to stand up to weather a little better... so hopefully we won't have to restain as often.  Even with the slightly higher cost, the stain, wood cleaner and brushes still only cost us around $30 total and we have enough left to do another application in the future. 

While I was out for a couple hours on Saturday, Tate got started by scrubbing down the furniture with the wood cleaner.  We let the furniture dry out for a day and once Jace went down for his nap on Sunday we went to town.  Two hours and two coats later the table and chairs were finished.  It looks SO much better!  You can tell the stain has a little more weather protection than what was on it before because it's a little less transparent, but you can still see the true wood grain beneath the stain and it does not look painted at all, much to our relief!  In pictures the staining looks slightly uneven, but that's just the natural wood color changes, and in person I think it looks great.  I'm happy to have this project crossed off, because now our to-do list is getting short and I've decided I'm adding something to it that I didn't think I would... painting our master bedroom one solid color!  I get bored without a weekend project so that will have to be on the list for one of the upcoming weekends... once I pick out a color of course.

Chairs after scrubbing... before staining.  Yikes

Table top all stripped and ready for stain.

Tate getting a head start...

The table after two coats of cedar stain.

Now we're ready for some BBQ-ing and
relaxing out back, just in time for spring!

**I have lots to update on what we've been up to, including cute pictures of you-know-who.  But it will have to wait until tomorrow because I have a place on the couch being kept warm for me right now!**