Outdoor table in need of love....

Hi,

We picked this table up from the shop next to the tip a couple of years ago and it has been doing well. I'm about a year late re-oiling it though and one slat is too rotten to salvage. Removing that has demonstrated some more problems.

I am reasonably certain I can fix it, but first off... I don't know what wood it is!

I have narrowed it down to being Teak or Merbau, although I am prepared to be corrected.

Can anybody identify the wood, from these pics?

Many thanks as always,

Mark.

Attachment 328679Attachment 328680Attachment 328681

Generally that stuff is teak usually comes from Indonesia but can't say for sure
cheers

I am not an expert in timber identification. However, it does not look like teak or merbau to me.

Thanks both.... I really am poor at Timber ID....

The chairs which came with it and which seem to have the same wood, are Devon Furniture. Their website for modern products says Teak or Merbau, but I cannot pick and do not know how old this table is.

To my eye it's some sort of Indonesian hardwood.
Replace it with a bit of merbau and finish it with some decking oil.

This is what I would do.

teak

Teak.

Merbau/Kwila is too dark and does not rot like that.

Given the way it's rotted and the washed colour, I'd even wager it might be Ash or Cedar. I say ash because of the dusty dry rot, but Cedar as its more likely to rot like that when left untreated.

Thanks very much to all who assisted with my enquiry.

As with most jobs I undertake, one apparently simple repair leads to a number of more complex ones. A number of parts underneath needed replacing - it is a very curious design.

The table is now finished, oiled and back in service. The piece of wood I had available did not blend in quite as I wanted, but equally it is not as bad in the flesh as that photo makes it look. There are a few more slats that will need replacing in the coming years.

The finished table:

Attachment 330292

Here is a link to the gallery that I have of the repair on Flickr: clicky click

Blame a red wine spill :)