Refinishing the Patio Furniture - New Stain

The patio set before

When we bought the new (to us) set of patio furniture, we knew the top of the table needed to be re-stained with a coat of exterior gel stain.   However, we decided to refinish the entire set because 1) the cedar color matched the neighbor’s house and clashed with ours and 2) we picked up the wrong shade of stain at Home Depot.  However the can of mahogany we picked up is a much better choice.  The darker color blends well with the deck and coordinates better with the house.  Plus mahogany and espresso finishes are much more our taste.

A sample of the color change

After a good cleaning with some wood prep and a light sanding, we used an exterior gel stain because it doesn’t run the way regular stain does.  Streaks and dried drips of stain are especially troublesome on furniture with slats.  The thicker gel stain (by Minwax) made the job a little more manageable.

The patio set in the middle of the first coat of stain

The whole job required two coats on everything.  It took a while to cover six complicated arm chairs (all those slats!) and one large table - over a week working evenings and two weekends.  I love the darker stain with our deck and house - it really feels like it's all going to come together.  The next step was to seal everything with a exterior sealant to protect it from the elements.

The set drying after two full coats of stain