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![]() Finish Options & Furniture CareYour Forever Redwood Furniture will last for decades in year-round weather without maintenance.Forever Redwood is guaranteed for up to thirty (30) years against decay. Depending on the wood grade you choose, under harsh year-round outdoor conditions, you can expect your furniture to last from ten to forty years without maintenance of any kind. Although our furniture is maintenance-free, it doesn't complain if you clean it…Take a couple minutes to spruce up your set a few times a year. We clean our display items once a month by hosing them down and taking a minute to brush away accumulated debris. No soap or chemicals are ever needed. Being outside year round is rough on the wood's finish. The wood's surface slowly oxidizes and absorbs UV rays, pollution and moisture resulting in the surface color changing towards a silver patina over a couple years. The silver patina is surface deep only (less than 1/100") and is not indicative of decay. Your set will last for decades and is not compromised in any way by the natural surface color change. We keep some of our display items year after year without refinishing them to show off the finish's natural aging (we like the silvering effect!). You can restore the original tones of your furniture in 15 minutes with a power washer.When power washing, be careful not to spray too close to the surface or you may cut into the grain of the wood. The power washer will quickly clean up all the accumulated grim and UV surface burning, but it will also create a few rough spots that you can easily smooth out by hand in just a few seconds. Once your set is cleaned up and has dried from the power-washing, you can touch up the surface by hand with 2 sheets of sandpaper. Purchase one sheet of 80 grit and another of 150 grit. You can find these at any hardware store for about $2 total. Go over the rough spots first with 80 grit sandpaper. Sand in the direction of the grain for ten strokes or so and dust off. The 80 grit will sand down the rough spots quickly, but with a slightly coarse finish. Next, go over the same spots with the finer 150 grit in the direction of the grain to remove any sanding lines left over from the 80 grit. Then dust off again to leave ready for sealing. The direction of the grain is the same direction of the growth lines in the wood. For example, on a picnic tabletop, sand the spots in the lengthwise direction of the boards. After sanding, just choose any stain/sealant you like. Redwood takes well to most. Our furniture is available in many finish options:
What's your favorite color?Our 5 grades of Wood offer you a variety of grain and color tone variations to choose from. If you do not like the natural tones of any of the 5 grades offered, we can stain any grade a darker color for you. At check out, you can choose the coffee color staining option. If you would like to match the color of your furniture to other pieces or decor in your home, then the staining is best done on your end to make sure you get the finish you like. Most hardware stores can match a stain color for you. Just take a sample of what you are trying to match up and they can mix it in a few minutes. We offer the option to order any piece unfinished, so you can easily have it finished on your end to match your home perfectly. More about our Premium SealantIf you'd like your set finished with Sikkens, just choose the premium finish at checkout. Sikkens has several products and stain tones available. We use two semi-transparent stains, the Sikkens Cetol SRD 089 Redwood (for the Old-Growth Redwood orders) and the Sikkens Cetol SRD 085 Teak (for the Redwood and Mature Redwood orders and for the Douglas-fir). The 085 stain has more brown in it and gives the younger wood grades a richer color. Both the SRD 085 and SRD 089 have a deep lustrous matte finish. If you'd like to purchase Sikkens, a reliable online supplier is Twin Creeks Home Supply. The Sikkens finish really will last at least 4 years and in some cases longer even in the most hostile climates. We were turned on to the Sikkens Cetol SRD finish by customers in hostile weather areas like upstate New York and Quebec. They used it on wood siding, exterior doors, decks, and patio furniture. One trick that was passed on to us is worth mentioning: Although the Sikkens finish will hold up for 4 years or more, it will begin to fade after a couple years. Slowly, the surface color will lose the gorgeous rich tones. If you want to keep your Forever Redwood furniture looking like it just came out of the box, don't wait until it has faded completely in 4 or 5 years. Every 2 or 3 years, on a sunny, dry day, take a few minutes and scratch up the surface with 2 sheets of sandpaper (80 and 150 grit—see "You can restore the orginal tones..." above for more details). Scratch lightly in the direction of the grain. No heavy muscle work necessary. For example, on an 8 ft picnic table with benches, just spend 5 minutes on the tabletop and bench tops. Then spend a minute on the legs (they won't fade as much or at all because they get less direct sunlight). Dust off and apply one coat of the Sikkens finish. Wipe off the excess within 10 minutes or it will gum up. Voila! Brand new again. If you're going to do this every 2 or 3 years, the finish will accumulate after 8 or 10 years to the point where it will no longer penetrate the wood. So, at that point, power wash the set to remove the accumulated finishes and start over. When power washing and working with the Sikkens from scratch, it's best to add 3 coats spaced a day apart for the ultimate protection and appearance results. Although the Sikkens instructions themselves say only one coat is necessary, you'll get the best results if you do it again on day 2 and day 3. If you don't have the time to do the 3 day finish, a close second in appearance and longevity is to wait a few hours and apply a second coat on the first day. Small checks and cracks: Ignore, fix, or replace…Redwood is ideal for outdoor furniture and structures. It will sit out in the year round weather for decades and remain structurally sound. But, like the old picnic tables in parks, wood furniture in year-round unprotected weather may eventually develop a surface and/or end check from the expansion and contraction caused by changes of temperature and moisture. Over the many years, if your redwood furniture develops a check or crack, it does not compromise the integrity or longevity of the furniture. If your set develops a crack or dent that has a rough edge, lightly sand the spot by hand for a few seconds to smooth out the rough edge. Use 80 grit sandpaper for a few strokes to remove any rough edges and then finish with a fine 150 grit sandpaper to match the smooth surface finish (redwood sands easily). After many years out in the weather, if your set develops a significant check, you can do one of 4 things:
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