Seal the Deal

Well, bench, that is. Remember this bench?I found it a while back at a yard sale and we put it to work on our back patio. The only downside- it wasn’t really meant for outdoor living and we had to bring it inside every night to protect the wood from any moisture that might ruin it over time. Actually, I wasn’t sure what type of finish had been used on the bench before, but to be safe I figured we’d seal it so that it can permanently live outside on the patio.

The process was relatively straightforward, but I just had to wait for 1. some free time to do the project, and 2. a day that was cool enough outside to use a sealer without the heat affecting the finish. When that day came, though, the project was pretty simple! 

First I dragged the bench outside and sanded it down to get most of the original finish off.

Next, I wiped it down a few times with a wet rag to get rid of any remaining saw dust and grime. 

Time for coat #1 of the sealer! I used Helmsman Spar Urethane (the same thing I used for the bar cart makeover) because after chatting with a few Home Depot employees, this is the product that each of them recommended for the job. I wasn’t trying to stain the piece another color (this goes on and dries clear), I just wanted to seal it so that it will be moisture-safe in the future. 

For application, I used a small foam craft brush. The can recommends a sturdy-bristled brush, but for such a small surface area the craft brush worked just fine. The key with this is thin coats- I’m terrible with this rule, but anything thick quickly resulted in a lot of drips. Applying the sealer was pretty self-explanatory, but here’s a quick video for you to show the consistency, how it went on, etc.

Just like that picture above, you can really see the difference between the “finished” and “not finished” parts of the bench… which was super helpful throughout the process.

Helpful Hint: If you have a piece with legs, do the bottom first so that you can flip it over to do the top without ruining the newly painted side. And here she is with her full first coat:

After coat #1, I waited four hours before lightly sanding (with fine grit sandpaper) it, wiping it down again, and putting on coat #2. Let it dry for a solid 24 hours before use and you should be all set to go! Truthfully, the finished product does not look a whole lot different than how it looked to begin with because I was essentially trading in one finish for another identical (but this time, weatherproof!) finish. BUT, here’s a shot of the bench doin’ its thing anyway because it’s still fun to see it all glossy and gleaming. To see more photos of the complete dining set, check out this post.

Any newly stained or refinished items in your backyard? Tell us all about it. 🙂

-Leslie