Sanding and oiling wooden garden furniture

Greyed wood is only weathered on the surface. Clean it first with water and a brush and let it dry thoroughly, then sand with P80 until the original colour of the wood comes through. Remove the scratches with P120 and finish with P180.

The flat surfaces are a job for the random orbital sander – always finish along the grain. Between the slats and on armrests, sand by hand with strips or non-woven abrasive. Break the edges slightly – sharp edges take oil badly and splinter.

For oil, stop at P180: wood sanded finer absorbs less oil. Brush off the dust thoroughly, oil thinly and wipe off the excess after the soak-in time. A second coat the next day lasts longer.

Remove or mask screws, fittings and hinges – sandpaper scratches metal, and oil on fittings attracts dirt.

Larch, Douglas fir and pine bleed resin. Resin clogs paper quickly; abrasive mesh, a lower speed and changing more often all help. Wash out resin pockets with methylated spirit beforehand.

A full sand is only needed when the wood is grey or rough again – usually every few years. In between, it’s enough to clean in spring, rough up lightly with fine non-woven abrasive and re-oil. That leaves more wood on the furniture.