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Discoloration of the Outdoor Wood Furniture.

A discoloration or color change in the wood furniture is a natural phenomenon, especially when the wood is put outside. Outdoor wood furniture as an object of sunlight, heat, and cold of the weather will tend to get the discoloration. The ultraviolet ray in the sunlight will accelerate chemical reactions at the wood that would cause discoloration.  The color changes of the wood can be varied from one part to other parts. The variation of chemical composition inside the wood will make the wood react differently and cause different discolorations.
Although it is a naturally occurring phenomenon, the color change is not expected by furniture business players and users. Most people want their wood furniture to remain durable and unchanged in form and appearance as long as possible. Moreover, today many furniture sellers dare to give a warranty for their product to keep the same during a certain period of time.  Since then, several attempts have been made to prevent or minimize the occurrence of discoloration on wood furniture. Although it is not possible to stop totally the occurrence of discoloration, at least there is some way to minimize it.



discoloration at the outdoor teak furniture

Some things that can be done to prevent discoloration
  • The finishing process (layering with coating)
The finishing process is one of the logical ways to maintain the appearance of the wood furniture to remain stable. The finishing layer will cover and protect the wood from contact with the surrounding air. It will prevent or at least minimize the occurrence of the reaction between the wood surfaces and the air environment. As long as the finishing layer is still attached to the surface, then he will be a protector that can prevent the occurrence of discoloration. But for the exterior uses, the furniture requires a special chemical that can withstand the heat of the sun and weather changes in their environment. The finishing materials with acrylic resins are widely used for outdoor finishes. The acrylic resin has high durability to the UV light from the outdoor sunlight.
We as finishing people can easily recognize the outdoor finish material by reading the specifications of the coating product. The product for outdoor uses usually has a tag in its cane that says it for outdoor uses. The most commonly used finishing materials for outdoor use are: spar varnish, alkyd paint, acrylic PU, water-base acrylic, and polyester.
  • Staining
Staining is the trick to reduce the discoloration problem of the wood. The natural wood color that has been coated with a clear coating layer of finish film still tends to get discoloration. The wood will absorb the ultraviolet ray and then react to change its color. The color changes of the wood can vary from one section to another since it depends on the content of tannins inside.
The wood staining will make the color of the wood more stable. Stain will color the wood so that the wood discoloration will be covered and less visible.
But the special stain is needed for outdoor uses. The stain for outdoor finishing should use pigment materials that are resistant to UV rays.

  • Re coating.
Despite the fact that the finishing layer for outdoor has been designed to be resistant to the outside weather and sunlight, he still will fade after a certain time. Exposure to sunlight and weather changes and abrasion from the air will fade the finishing color and film. For those reasons, some finishing materials manufacturers recommend refinishing or recoating the finish after a certain period of time.
The oil finish is the most common finish that needs to be recoated. Every 6 months or 1 year, the oil finish needs to be recoated to keep its performance. The oil finish is a simple finish, so the recoating can be done quite easily. The oil finish recoated can be done by brushing and wiping the new oil onto the old finish.
Some varnish manufacturers also recommend recoating the old varnish layer to maintain the products. They provide varnish that can be applied in a simple manner by brushing. The brushing varnish is much easier to use to recoat the old finish without having to deal with the complex finishing equipment and facility.

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