putting a wooden dining room table outside...

[StumpedCanary]

Ok, don't laugh.
Patio furniture locally appears to be quite expensive and large, so I have bought a reasonable priced dining room table to put on the terrace. The wood does not appear to be waxed or overly varnished (not shiny), just a "normal" wood finish.
There is often a morning dew outside but there shouldn't be any direct sunlight onto the table. I've bought a product to protect the wood which I'll apply before it goes outside.
My question is - do I need to sand it all down first?
Delivery in a week, so would appreciate any replies before then please.
Many thanks!

 

[big-all]

when you have rubbed it down and treated it and after the 7th or 8th days rain it starts to go mouldy then after the winter it works loose and may fall to bits as the glue dissolves
you may then wonder why indoors and out doors woodwork is constructed differently from different materials and finished differently

 

[StumpedCanary]

Hi Big All
We get maybe 5 days rain in the whole year here and, as I said, the table will be undercover of a canvas canopy - so no rain and no direct sun. I have had a wooden fold out chair (€15) and small wooden fold out picnic table (€25) in the same position for 3 months and, so far, so good. (Didn't bother putting anything on them, just had no room inside!).
Just need to know whether I need to sand it down a little for the stuff I'm putting on to "key" better or whether now days it is not necessary to do this.
It's a sturdy legged solid wood table, not french polished mahogany, if it gets a little weathered then all the better... if it only lasts a couple of years then it will be worth the €200 when the "outdoor" furniture is €800. Thanks for the pointers on what to look out for anyway.

 

[imamartian]

Hi canary, i'm only a diy'er not a pro, but as far as i know, there are predoninantly 2 type of finish for wood, and they're barrier, wax and varnish type which sits on the wood to block out moisture etc, or a wood stain finish, which soaks into the timber.

Having said that, i suspect your table will have been finished in a way to stop spillages/liquid affecting it, so if you paint a liquid on it, it's not really gonna work unless you do as you suggested and sand it down first....

And as you said, you'll only be creating a key, so you won't have to sand off all of the original finish.

 

[StumpedCanary]

Dear Imamartian
Thanks, that is what I feared... so back to the DIY shop for a little machine to do all the rubbing for me
I think that is what this stuff is supposed to do, protect from any added air moisture, I made sure in the shop to make it clear that's what I needed and not just a varnish or stain.
I'll give it a go and see what happens - either way I have a table out there for a while
Cheers.

 

[vv2806]

Ronseal has a product called yacht varnish. I suppose you can use it for your table. As for the joints going loose because of the glue, you can strengthen them if necessary with dowels or screws. But 200 for a table you are going to put outside? Don't you have freecycle in Spain? People here are giving away garden furniture quite regularly. Or IKEA? Does it have to be wood? I have a glass-top table outside, it is much lower maintenance.

 

[StumpedCanary]

Hi vv
I'm in the canaries, we do have a 2nd hand furniture shop nearby but they don't deliver and most apartments etc here are sold ready furnished so there's not a huge turn around.
Possibly because of the high demand, patio furniture is expensive and there is limited choice. A wooden 2 seater table and chairs is almost double the price I've paid for the 4 seater with chairs (and it's very solid).
We're a very dusty island and a glass top table looks dirty even when wiped daily (had one in a rental apt, which was also a cane/rattan base and didn't seem to deteriorate much in the 3 yrs I was there, I was also nearer to the sea).
The fashion at the moment for outdoor stuff appears to be open weave - which is a great dirt trap...had plastic furniture when moved in here which was discoloured - figure that if the wood "weathers" it'll still look ok and, as you say, if the joints get loose I'll re-glue or put in a big screw