How to restore weathered wood

Picture the scene, your garden was once full of lovely new wood and it looked great so you sat back on your deck chair and enjoyed it – yey! Then winter came, and summer again, and then another winter…and now your wood is grey, dirty and may even be beginning to split or crack in places. A familiar story? Well don’t worry, you can still apply protective treatments to untreated, weathered wood and achieve a great finish with some simple but careful preparation.

First clean the wood

Before applying a finish it is important to clean the wood to remove any dirt and grease which would prevent the finish from adhering correctly. It will also help to remove the grey color and restore the new look to your wood. You can do this quickly and simply with Net-Trol wood cleaner.

1. Wet the surface with clean water
2. Apply Net-Trol with a stiff brush
3. Leave for 10-20 minutes
4. Scrub the surface whilst rinsing with water

Now finish with Textrol saturating wood oil

If you’re looking for a natural look for your wood surfaces we would recommend using Textrol saturating wood oil which penetrates the wood and protects from within. It provides exemplary protection against damage caused by UV rays and moisture and enhances the natural look of the wood. It’s easy to apply and requires only a minimal amount of maintenance.

How to apply Textrol saturating wood oil

1. Ensure you have cleaned the wood as detailed above and left it to dry for at least a couple of days
2. Apply 1st coat of Textrol and allow to penetrate into the wood (15-30 minutes)
3. Apply 2nd application and allow to penetrate for 15-30 minutes.
4. If required repeat this procedure until the wood is saturated i.e. will accept no more oil.
5. Do not allow Textrol to become touch dry or dry between coats
6. Once the timber is saturated, brush out or wipe up any excess that has not penetrated to avoid shiny spots

Our top tips

• Textrol should be applied ‘wet-on-wet’ meaning that you should not allow it to dry in between coats
• Do not apply if cold and/or wet weather is expected within 24-48 hours
• Always work the entire length of a deck board or horizontal siding to a logical break, such as a window or door frame
• Never stop application in the middle of wall or fence panel
• Vertical siding and fences should be coated from top to bottom
• If applying Textrol by sprayer, always back-brush or back-roll afterwards to improve penetration and uniformity of coverage

Gary (Managing Director, Owatrol UK) says:

Textrol is not a surface coating, its place is in the wood not on the surface. Textrol protects by penetrating the wood, providing a rich matte finish.

There are of course other options when choosing a finish for your wood, depending on the look you are trying to achieve. For an opaque colored finish we would recommend Solid Color Stain, for hardwood decking we’d recommend Deks Olje D1 and for a water-based finish we’d suggest Aquadecks.