When it comes to our backyard, these last 3 summers have all had the common theme of “waste not want not”.
If a shabby patio table left by our house’s previous owners needs a good scrubbin’, we scrub it.
If a back porch needs a painted haint blue ceiling to give it Southern charm, we paint it.
If an outdoor space needs a little ambience, we deck it out with $3 ethereal mosquito net curtains and simple string lights and BOOM! Instant magic.
This year, it was our 4 year-old outdoor wooden furniture that needed the rescue mission. So I thought I’d show y’all how we restored it all in a matter of an hour or two, made it look brand new, and saved ourselves hundreds of dollars in case you have some wood furniture needing a little love too.
How to Restore Wood Outdoor Furniture
Supplies Used:
(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)
- Teak oil
- Clean, dry rags
- Steam cleaner (*If you have cushions – We used this one.)
- Carpet shampoo (*For cushions)
When we lived at our last house, we got this set of wooden outdoor chairs from World Market for our patio and loved how deep and sturdy they were. (These chairs are comparable to them.) It was definitely one of those quality purchases that we knew could last us a long time if we took good care of it.
But after four years, the wood started looking dry and worn out.
So we just wiped them down with a healthy dose of teak oil and they soaked it right up. We gave all of the screws a quick tightening too.
For the cushions, we fired up the steam cleaner using this carpet cleaner to remove all of the pollen and mildew from the last year. (If you don’t have a steam cleaner though, this solution worked pretty well last summer using mainly common ingredients already in our stash.)
You wouldn’t believe the amount of pollen that ended up in the steam cleaner. It literally turned into pollen paste. Bleck!
So glad we won’t be sitting in that now.
It’s amazing what some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease can do!
I’ll share more of this year’s back porch all gussied up for summer later this week. But this was a tip I couldn’t pass up, in case any of you wanted a way to stretch your existing furniture or found a good Craigslist deal on the used stuff.
If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here:
Rebekah says
May 20, 2019 at 3:32 pmHey! Love following all your projects! Curious: have you ever posted a step by step on putting in recess lighting? Noticed your porch doesn’t have any in a before pic.
Thanks!
Lauren says
May 20, 2019 at 5:22 pmHi! I don’t actually. That’s one job we’ve never done. The recessed lights were here when we moved in; they probably just aren’t as easily visible with the cream colored ceiling in that before pic.
M. Boyd says
May 21, 2019 at 4:14 pmYou southerners with your y’alls and your haints are as obnoxious as you are backward. Im so sick of “pr ofessional southerners”.
Yuck. Indeed.
Lauren says
May 21, 2019 at 9:34 pmWell, bless your heart, honey. Looks like you came to the wrong blog. Feel free to show yourself out, M. Boyd. 😉
Linda says
May 26, 2019 at 6:43 pmSouthern manners and charm go a long way in this sad, rude world!
Sarah McCoy says
May 20, 2019 at 3:36 pmWhere did you buy the aqua chevron throw? I’d love to know!
Lauren says
May 20, 2019 at 5:21 pmIt’s from Walmart. 🙂 Here’s the link: https://rstyle.me/n/dky9khb5ky7
Mandy says
May 20, 2019 at 4:03 pmHey! Where did you find the throw for the love seat? Thanks!
Lauren says
May 20, 2019 at 5:21 pmHi Mandy! It’s from Walmart. I’ll be sharing more about all of the decor Wednesday. 🙂 Here’s the link: https://rstyle.me/n/dky9khb5ky7
Natalie Barney says
May 20, 2019 at 4:16 pmI have the loveseat to that set and was wondering how to make it look less pitiful after a couple years outside. Perfect timing on this post!
Lauren says
May 20, 2019 at 5:20 pmYay! So glad it helped!
valarie sanford says
May 21, 2019 at 12:13 amHi Lauren, I have that exact World Market bench and didn’t realize I could revitalize it with oil, thanks for the head’s up!!
Sophie Staff says
May 27, 2019 at 11:59 amHi Lauren,
I tried to get in touch with you through your contact form, but it didn’t want to submit.
Do you have an email I could contact you on? Would love to discuss a potential partnership with you.
Sophie
Lauren says
May 28, 2019 at 9:38 amHi, Sophie. I sent you an email. 🙂