How to refinish Teak Furniture

Outdoor teak furniture is a stylish choice your patio or deck. Teak wood is not only pleasing to the eye; it is also strong and requires low maintenance.

This a photo of the finished product after the teak oil is applied

Step 1: Sanding

Sand the teakwood to remove the gray-colored surface grain. Use 100-grit sand paper or a foam sanding, block and sand in the direction of the wood grain. For large areas, you can use a handheld random orbital sander to reduce the labor necessary to remove the faded wood.

Step 2: Remove dust

Remove sanding dust by wiping the teakwood down with a tack cloth. If you're refinishing a small item, move it to a garage or somewhere out of the wind for the next step.

Step 3: Apply Teak Oil

Apply teak oil, clean wood. This products penetrate the surface grain for added protection from the elements. Brush on a thin coat with a natural bristle brush and let it soak in, or buff it with a soft buffing pad as directed on the product’s label. Additional thin coats of oil or sealer can offer more protection and enhance surface luster.

Note: I used Watco Teak oil

PVC pipe glueing

To ensure that the pipe will be fully seated in its fittings, measure the distance between the shoulders on the fittings at each end of the pipe.  Spread cement primer over the outside of the pipe and the inside of the fitting where they'll overlap. The primer softens and cleans the plastic. Assemble everything to make sure the pipe is the correct length. On fittings such as elbows, position is critical, so make a reference mark from the pipe onto the fitting. Apply the cement to the primed areas on the inside of the fitting and to the outside of the pipe.  Slide the pipe into the fitting until it bottoms out against the fitting's shoulder, then give it a ¼-inch turn to spread the glue and speed its cure. If you're attaching a fitting, push it in with the reference marks slightly out of register, and turn the fitting to align the marks. Hold for 30 seconds, then wipe up any excess cement with a dry rag.

Sweating Copper Pipe

Soldering copper water supply lines is not a difficult skill.  Even a rookie can learn to solder leak-proof joints in 15 minutes. The process is simple—if you follow a few basic guidelines. In this story and video I will show you how to solder copper quickly and easily. First cut your copper pipe to the desired length to fit your plumbing project using a pipe cutter. You can buy a pipe cutter and all of the supplies for this project in a hardware store or online.  Next once you have your pipe to your desired length use emory cloth or sandpaper to clean the copper pipe. You do this get rid of any of the tarnish on the copper pipe.  Apply a thin layer of lead-free soldering paste (flux) to the end of the pipe using a flux brush. The paste should cover about 1 inch of pipe. Insert the pipe into the fitting. Make sure the pipe is tight against the bottom of the fitting. Twist the fitting slightly to spread the flux.  Unwind around 8 inches of solder from the real, then proceed to heating the pipe up with a propane torch.  Once the pipe is hot touch the solder to it, there does not need to be direct contact from the torch for the solder to melt. Capillary action will draw the liquid solder into the joint. A properly soldered joint should show a thin bead of solder around the fitting.Wipe away the excess solder with a rag. The pipe will be hot, so be careful while handling it. After the pipe and fitting have cooled, turn on the water and check for leaks. If the joint leaks, take it apart and resolder it.