Maintaining a Porch Rocker
Wood outside will weather and turn gray.
If our rockers live on a covered porch they will remain tight and functional for decades,
but they will weather and turn gray.
Our oil finish slows but does not arrest this process.
Weathering
Weathering appeals to some people and, given years of it, bothers some people. The amount of lapsed time from fresh oiling to "bother" roughly determines action.
For everyone, we recommend wiping the chairs down with a "near-wet" cloth every once in a while to get the bird poop and other surface deposits off.
Beyond that, some people will want to re-oil their chairs every couple of years. For this level of maintenance, use the Simple Re-Oiling notes below.
We build our porch rockers of Sapele, and this is how we finish them.
Simple Re-Oiling
Some people will want to re-oil their chairs every couple of years.
- Wipe down as noted above and let dry a couple of days--good drying days.
- Get some oil made for decks. Penofin Penetrating Oil Finish Natural is good and readily available. Penofin Brazilian Rosewood Oil may be a little better, but is harder to find. Rub oil on the chair with a cloth.
- After coating the chair, wipe any excess from the surface with an old tee-shirt or the like. Oily rags can spontaneously combust, let them dry spread in the open air until crusty before disposal.
Full Re-finishing
For those who are content with the changes for a decade or so, or wish to fully renew the finish, we have a couple of shop log posts for guidance, and maybe inspiration. The first is a record of our work on the rocking chair on the showroom porch. The second is a report from a patron who followed our instructions.