Refinishing Outdoor Wood Furniture

Sanding

• Sand with 80 grit sandpaper
• Sand again with 150 grit sandpaper
• Vacuum/sponge off wood to pick up dust from sanding

Stain

• Consider using Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
• Minwax Gel Stain
  • Apply with brush or clean cloth.
  • Wait 3 minutes, then wipe off excess.
  • Darken the color with additional coats of stain. Wait 8-10 hours between coats. Do not sand between coats.

Sealing/varnish

• Seal the wood with Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane (oil base)
  • "spar urethane" is for exterior use
• Sand in between coats using high-grit sandpaper, e.g. 320-400 grit, that will knock down any imperfections and give additional coats a surface they can bind to.
• Apply gloss for all coats until the final coat which will be satin.
• Apply satin coats until the wood has an even sheen (2-3 coats at least).