Painting Iroko Wood Gate

[john4012]

Hi All

ive got an iroko wood driveway gate that looked great when first installed but now looks a little worse for wear. It now has silver patches all over it, caused by the weather and although some people say this is how it ages, i hate it and want to bring it back to its former glory.

Any advice on what i should use to stain the gate to get rid of the silver patches. Should i sand it down first? then apply a couple layers of base primer before a layering up with a good stain. Im pretty novice at this so any help with technique and products to use would be great.

Regards
john

 

[Notch7]

has the gate got any treatment on it?

if it hasnt then it will have some water staining and the sunlight will have killed off the lignin making it go grey.
you wont get back the colour to the grey areas so you will need a stain

I used Barrettine wood protective treatment on an iroko side gate I made.

https://www.toolstation.com/wood-protective-treatment-5l/p93006

its really a shed type wood stain but it turned the iroko a lovely rich brown -its a matt finish with almost no build but it has a water repellent so it doesnt allow water to soak in.

I prefer it to a finish like sikkens which although great is more like a varnish which will crack at the edges etc.

I would sand your gate to a coarse finish -say 80 grit as the finish runs off smooth wood.

 

[john4012]

thtas really helpful thanks

how many coats would you normally apply?

 

[Notch7]

thtas really helpful thanks

how many coats would you normally apply?

I did 2 coats, it still looks fine after a year -I might do another coat this year
Its quite runny and quick to apply

I dont know why but it comes up pretty dark -the light brown is really quite a deep colour.

 

[opps]

I recently had to oil a cross that was going to be used for a grave until a headstone could be plonked in. I used Osmo UV protection oil. It has a UV factor of 12. It was the only clear finish that I could find that offered a stated UV protection. The other brands I looked at said that their clear products would not prevent the UV light from changing the colour of the wood.

Iroko, like teak goes grey in sunlight. You can sand away the grey. Off the top of my head, based on sapele windows (which go yellow) that I have sanded in the past, you need to sand back through the coating and then an addition 0.15mm to get back to the original colour.

By and large, I have been happy with the other Osmo products that I have used in the past but I do not know how effective a UV factor if 12 is over a longer period.

If you really like the colour, it might be easier, in the long term, to use a stained finish like notch 7 recommends. Stained finishes prevent the sunlight from penetrating through to the wood.

 

[JohnD]

you can also use a wood dye, like Rustins, Colron (not the water based one) or Blackfriars. I have used it to hide discoloured, stained and faded patches on exterior hardwood, including some teak, and whatever the red tropical hardwood is used for exterior doorsills.

you do have to sand off the old finish so it will soak in.

I use darker colours which are better for hiding marks.

Once you have got the colour to your liking, use an untinted oil or stain, or it will get even darker.