Furniture Flip: Outdoor Seating

There’s nothing I love more than bringing something back to its former glory… or completely reinventing it into something even better. That’s what we did with this teak outdoor furniture set a friend dumped at our house. We are THOSE people who will take your trash so you don’t have to donate it or take it to the dump. This set sat in our friend’s driveway, in the elements, for several years, and then came to our house and sat outside for six more months.

Can You Sand Teak?

But it was surprisingly easy to restore. Many people will say you shouldn’t sand teak — because It’s soft — but I say gentle sanding is MORE than ok. In fact, it’s necessary. Sanding your teak furniture will make it look brand new in a few hours.

@homebodyhq Replying to @joyjoymcclain exceptions always exist so it’s always better to understand WHY you should or shouldn’t do something, rather than memorizing a bunch of rules that may/may not apply. Teak is a soft wood that you need to be gentle with, but that doesn’t mean you have to avoid sanding or even avoid electric sanders. Try a higher grit sandpaper. Remember: ⬇️ grit (ie. 40) is coarser and will be rougher on the wood. It’s excellent for deep cleaning wood or smoothing rough edges. ⬆️ grit (ie. 400) will be a smooth/fine feel which is great for finishing a piece and getting it smooth for paint. So yes you can sand teak… gently! Save this for your next DIY project and + for more DIY tips and home projects inspiration #diyersoftiktok #basicdiy #sandingtip #diytipsfromwomenforwomen #diyfaq ♬ Unholy - Sam Smith & Kim Petras

Tips For Sanding Teak

1. If you’re using an electric sander, start with 180 grit in a small section to test. Ensure it doesn’t damage the wood.

2. Lightly sand with 180 grit sandpaper

3. Use a Dremel or hand sand the narrow sections

4. Dust clean

5. Finish sanding with 300-400 grit sandpaper

@homebodyhq Replying to @mbailey678 a friend just wanted this teak patio set gone so we inherited and after six months in our driveway, we’re finally ready to do something with it The teak bench and outdoor coffee table was the perfect gift for my SIL but I had to keep the chairs for myself teehee What do you think of the furniture stain? #diyfurnituremakeover #furnitureflippersoftiktok #freefurnitureflip #patiosets #diytipsfree ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show

How To Determine If It’s Real Wood

When shopping for real wood, it’s easy to be deceived online. Engineered wood is cheap so companies have gotten pretty good at disguising it as the real thing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought something on Facebook Marketplace just to get it home and realize it’s not real wood.

Here are a few tips:

1. Ask how heavy it is! Real wood is usually very heavy.

2. Look at the grain. Perfect, consistent grain is usually manufactured while real wood grain varies.

3. Find a seam or edge to see what inside the wood looks like!

@homebodyhq Why is it SO hard to tell real wood from fake? Engineered wood is cheap so companies have gotten pretty good at disguising it as the real thing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought something on Facebook marketplace just to get it home and realize it’s not real wood. Here’s a few tips: 1. Ask how heavy it is! Real wood is usually very heavy. 2. Look at the grain. Perfect, consistent grain is usually manufacturer while real wood grain varies. 3. Find a seam or edge to see what inside the wood looks like! #realwood #furnitureflip #facebookmarketplacefinds #facebookmarketplacetips ♬ original sound - tub of lard

My Message To You

During this project, I was reminded of how satisfying flipping furniture can be. This is always how I encourage people to start DIYing. Flipping furniture is a low-cost, low-stake project that can usually be fixed when mistakes are made. You can learn so much by just doing. Sanding is one of those things I find people love or hate, but either way, they always get better over time. Flipping furniture gives you the ability to hone your design skills and eye for potential, as well as technical skills like painting, using a brad nailer, or… sanding!

Staining Teak

People will also tell you not to stain teak because it is so beautiful raw. And it is! But this teak had seen some dog chewing and in its natural color, would have blended right into our front porch. So I opted for a gel stain. First I cleaned the chairs and applied pre-stain to help the wood’s pores expand and absorb more of the stain.

I used MINWAX Gel Stain in Walnut.

Chair Cushions

The cushions were in good condition, but did need a good cleaning. Luckily they’re machine washable, so I just tossed them in the wash and they looked good as new. I added some black cushions to complete the look and I couldn’t be more happy with our free patio furniture.

@homebodyhq We love a FREE flip 👏🏼 A friend was getting rid of this set and we already had stain! @homebodyhq This teak set came back to life quickly with a light sanding (see tips here @homebodyhq ) and staining. Plus I washed the cushions… and it looks ✨BRAND NEW✨ Old, weathered pieces like this often get overlooked because they look daunting but trust me, you CAN do this easily and it will be worth it! Here’s a pep talk 👉🏼@homebodyhq Love you!!! YOU GOT THIS #diywomenrock #furnitureflipchallenge #outdoorfurnitureneedshelp #orbitalsanding #freefurnituremakeover #handcraftedfurniture #furniturebeforeandafter ♬ Pretty Boy Swag - Soulja Boy

Plus, we didn’t have room for the bench and table, so we fixed them up and gave them as a gift to Chance’s sister-in-law for her birthday. It fits perfectly on their back porch.