Staining Teak Outdoor Furniture Black

We have a set of chairs and a table on our North-facing balcony which (a) is looking faded and stained and (b) doesn't really match the decor of the room which is all black/dark brown, including the floor which has the Feast Watson Japan black treatment (7 parts Prooftint Black + 3 parts Prooftint Teak Brown).

We'd like to stain the furniture to match the floor and the rest of the furniture, but preferably without having to varnish over the top so that the process can be repeated when it fades - but also avoiding transfer of the stain to clothes.

However, I know that Teak is an oily wood and doesn't usually take up stains very well. I have read that after rubbing down you can bust the grain with 50/50 denatured alcohol and water to make it take dark colours.

Can anyone confirm that this treatment will work or suggest an alternative?

There is an easy answer to this question . At this moment in time we are working in Switzerland and they like to keep the outside furniture and wooden houses black in colour . How do they do it ? On wood that has no other finish on it they paint a liberal coat of used car sump oil , it is filthy black in colour ( and is free from any car mechanic ) but it dries completely dry in a couple of hours , I do not know if it would work on teak but you could open up the grain with a pressure hose . In Switzerland they only use pine for everything and by this method pine houses last hundreds of years , before the motor car I do not know how they kept the pine from decay but in the last 50 years this method has been unbelievably sucessful .

I can only tell you my experience with garden furniture stain that I did many years ago. I used the most expensive Sikkens to stain a full set of garden table and chairs, came out beautifully. However since it is exposed to full sun all day, it only took about 2 years the stain started to break down. Eventually I recoat it with Wattyl external paint which match my windows colour, of course it does not look as nice as freshly stained, but it seems to last forever.

So it depend if your outdoor set will be exposed to full sun, I''d suggest you think twice before you start the job.

What an interesting concept AnselmFraser. I lived in Switzerland for 15 years and can’t say I have seen it used, but then again I did not visit all the Cantons. The concept of that is the same a Black Japan finish on Baltic pine floors. It preservers the timber. http://www.livos.com.au/gallery_exterior_timbersfeatures a spotted gum deck treated with the Alis black. With penetrating oil, one can rejuvenate, touch up or repair if or when necessary. Don’t expect it to last 10 years though with our harsh sun, but anywhere from 12-24 months. Due to the nature of the oils, there is no issue either with using it on a table top. If the coating you have now has faded, then a good wash with a stiff brush, allow to dry and coat would be sufficient to bring the furniture back to life.

In Switzerland they recoat their houses whenever the sun and rain - both of which are very strong there - have bleached or washed the pine to the usual grey colour , this takes approx. 10 years and then all that you do is put another coat of used black oil on the wood with no preparation , it goes on easy , none of that scrapping of the old finish off.