How To – Refinish And Stain Outdoor Wood Bench | YouRepair

Protecting the Wood

Now that we are happy how our bench looks we need to protect the surface with a Transparent Urethane.

You have 3 different types of transparent finishes Gloss, Semi-Gloss and Matt. Since we are using our bench outside we need to use the best product for protection and this is Gloss. The higher the Gloss the harder the finish and the longer it will last. This is true when coating surfaces inside your home too however most people like a Semi-Gloss finish inside their home because it reflects less light and shows fewer imperfections.

You should apply at least 3 coatings of Urethane to the bench and lightly sand the first and second coat if needed to remove imperfections, dust, bubbles . Work in the same method as you applied the stain. Paint the back and bottom first then work from the top down and the back out to reduce dripping and runs.

The first coat is really a sealer coat or half coat and should be thick enough that the urethane penetrates the wood but thin enough that it will dry fast.

Each coat needs to dry a minimum of 6 hours meaning you can apply one coat when you wake up then a second in the middle of the day and a third later that night. Final drying should be 12 hrs minimum with at least 24 hrs before you put the bench back in service.

Once the Urethane has dried overnight you can use newspaper to mask off the wood areas of your bench and then spray the cast iron parts with flat black spray paint. This will cover up any stain splashes and it will restore the look to new.

Now that you have completed your project you should get about a year or so out of your work if you intend to let it stay outside in the winter. If you bring it inside you may get a few extra years before refinishing. You can also lightly sand and apply an extra coat of urethane in the fall or spring to restore the finish and add additional protection.