Acacia wood outdoor furniture

[Karen]

I would like to seal and protect my new outdoor acacia wood table set from sun and rain.  Do I use boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits?  Or what is the best to use on brand new furniture?

[wtnhighlander]

Acacia is supposed to be pretty resistant to rot, all on its own. The choice of topcoat can depend on many factors. If you want to keep the fresh wood color, a finish with UV inhibitors is recommended. Many film finishes have such components, but hard films will eventually fail, and require a good deal of work to refinish.

A simple drying oil (like boiled linseed) is much easier to touch up or refresh, just scuff as needed and re-apply. Don't expect it to prevent the wood from changing color with sun exposure, though.

I favor the slow application method, over the 'soak it and mop it up later' method. Using light coats, follow the old adage, 'one coat a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month for a year, once a year thereafter'. That really applies more to indoor furniture, outdoors may require a light coat every couple of months forever.

IMO, there is no benefit to thinning the BLO with spirits.

[Martin-IT]

I used australian timber oil (honey) on mine. You have to plan to do it at least once a year (if it is outside for a short period of time), or more. The oil based formula, not the water based formula(the blue top..water Reducible Formula). I have used both, and the water based performed poorly.  Some states restrict the sale of the oil based formula....it was available for shipping on amazon, but now they seem to restrict the purchase based on the delivery address.  The price on Amazon seem to be very seasonal, I bought a gallon for 26$ in Feb and it went up over 40$ in March. The same price bump/drop happened in 2020.  It is not a film finish, which will save you have to scrap it off between recoating.

[comp56]

For sealing and protecting your new acacia wood table set, you can use a mixture of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. This combination will penetrate the wood deeply and provide a good level of protection against both sun and rain. Apply it in thin coats, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next. Additionally, make sure to clean the furniture well before applying the oil mixture to ensure it adheres properly.

I recently bought an iron furniture set for my patio because it's incredibly durable and requires less maintenance than wood. While wood furniture like acacia needs regular sealing to protect it from the elements, iron furniture is naturally resistant to weather conditions. This was a significant factor for me, as I wanted something low-maintenance. If you're considering other options in the future or need a durable alternative, you might want to check out wrought iron furniture. It's a great long-term investment, and you can find more information here https://wrought-iron-furniture.com/