The Garden gate....Im getting bored now!

[Matata]

Ive been looking at the garden gate for ten years now. its about 1metre square. Made of oak??.. It was initially varnished. Thinking its now or never Ive taken it off its hinges and with electric sander brought it back to looking posh. I don't want to go thro this grief again , certainly in this life time! I was going to put Danish oil on it rather than re varnish it. Is that a good idea. If so how many coats etc etc. In return for every response I promise to buy you all a huge pint of Guinness and a bag of crisps when this is over....Regards Nic

 

[CLB]

Ive been looking at the garden gate for ten years now. its about 1metre square. Made of oak??.. It was initially varnished. Thinking its now or never Ive taken it off its hinges and with electric sander brought it back to looking posh. I don't want to go thro this grief again , certainly in this life time! I was going to put Danish oil on it rather than re varnish it. Is that a good idea. If so how many coats etc etc. In return for every response I promise to buy you all a huge pint of Guinness and a bag of crisps when this is over....Regards Nic

Just how big is a 'huge' pint? One needs to know

 

[Hot Property]

This chap knows what he is doing:-

UKworkshop.co.uk External iroko - Osmo UV Oil or Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 Plus : Finishing Advice - UKworkshop.co.uk

I followed his advice on my Iroko gates and it is brilliant!

 

[PembrokeshirePromise]

This chap knows what he is doing:-

UKworkshop.co.uk External iroko - Osmo UV Oil or Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 Plus : Finishing Advice - UKworkshop.co.uk

I followed his advice on my Iroko gates and it is brilliant!

Another vote for Osmo - great stuff

 

[neil_s]

Ronseal Yacht varnish - I find you get at least two years and often three before recoating is necessary. (It does what it says on the tin)

 

[Plum]

Ive been looking at the garden gate for ten years now. its about 1metre square. Made of oak??.. It was initially varnished. Thinking its now or never Ive taken it off its hinges and with electric sander brought it back to looking posh. I don't want to go thro this grief again , certainly in this life time! I was going to put Danish oil on it rather than re varnish it. Is that a good idea. If so how many coats etc etc. In return for every response I promise to buy you all a huge pint of Guinness and a bag of crisps when this is over....Regards Nic

Sikkens cetol filter 7 or if you are certain it is oak then strip to bare wood and rehang the gate. Leave it bare. It will go a silvery grey colour and stay that way with no maintenance for minimum 15 years.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Hot Property]

I didn't use osmo UV oil.....

It's the Cetol 7 plus the stain that I actually used. If you scroll to the 2 nd page it's still going well after 3 years. The winner by a long way

 

[Matata]

Mmmm...thanks guys...no idea what wood it is...its heavy, lite in colour ...im going down the cetol 7 route...many thanks and stay safe...Nik

 

[Old Harry]

Ive been looking at the garden gate for ten years now. its about 1metre square. Made of oak??.. It was initially varnished. Thinking its now or never Ive taken it off its hinges and with electric sander brought it back to looking posh. I don't want to go thro this grief again , certainly in this life time! I was going to put Danish oil on it rather than re varnish it. Is that a good idea. If so how many coats etc etc. In return for every response I promise to buy you all a huge pint of Guinness and a bag of crisps when this is over....Regards Nic

You might provide a "Scuttlebutt" full

 

[PetiteFleur]

I've a similar gate, in oak and did as suggested, cleaned it up, repaired where necessary and left without any treatment and it's a nice silvery colour now. I've also just replaced the gunwales on my tender with a 'mahogany' type wood, laminated and just finished 3 coats of International Woodskin and I have to say it looks good - better than I expected. No idea how long it will last before having to do again. Previously I had used Sikkens cetol filter 7 but I'd run out so trying Woodskin which has a better shine, about halfway to a traditional varnish.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Sikkens cetol filter 7 or if you are certain it is oak then strip to bare wood and rehang the gate. Leave it bare. It will go a silvery grey colour and stay that way with no maintenance for minimum 15 years.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

We had a pair of oak gates made when we built our house which was finished in 1987. A lot of water under the bridge since then - kids grown up and moved away, we unfortunately fallen out, divorced and remarried but the gates are still there (I passed old house the other day). They've never had any finish applied and now look beautiful. I would remove any finish and allow it to mellow. That's traditional for oak and also the least bother unless you have a penchant for varnishing.

 

[C08]

I made 3 nice gates 15 years ago but could not afford hardwood so used pine. Despite carefully painting there are sections of rot I need to replace. I set to work cutting out the rotten sections that amounted to about 10m in total length, carefully scarfed cuts ready for the new timber on order.....I now have 3 gates in bits and who knows when timber will arrive. My wife did say a couple of weeks ago...why do you not wait until you have the wood, which she reminds of daily!

 

[lw395]

There's plenty of rotten and rotting oak stuff about outdoors.
If you want it to last a long time, then some sort of oil or wood preserver is the way to go, depending on the look you're seeking.
At least put something on any upward facing endgrain, that's got to the best extension of its life for the minimum of effort?