Textrol on deck

How to treat and finish weathered wood

Picture the scene, your garden was once full of lovely new wood and it looked great so you sat back on your deck chair and enjoyed it – yay!

Then winter came, and summer again, and then another winter…and now your wood is grey, dirty and may even be beginning to split or crack in places. A familiar story? Well don’t worry, you can still apply protective treatments to untreated, weathered wood and achieve a great finish with some simple but careful preparation.

First clean the wood

Before applying a finish it is important to clean the wood to remove any dirt and grease which would prevent finishes from adhering correctly. It will also help to remove the grey colour and restore the new look to your wood. You can do this quickly and simply with Net-Trol wood cleaner.

  1. Wet the surface with clean water
  2. Apply Net-Trol with a stiff brush
  3. Leave for 10-20 minutes
  4. Scrub the surface whilst rinsing with water

Aquanett on a deck

Now finish with Textrol saturating wood oil

If you’re looking for a natural look for your wood surfaces we would recommend using Textrol saturating wood oil which penetrates the wood and protects from within. It provides exemplary protection against damage caused by UV rays and moisture and enhances the natural look of the wood. It’s easy to apply and requires only a minimal amount of maintenance.

How to apply Textrol saturating wood oil

Textrol application on cladding

  1. Ensure you have cleaned the wood as detailed above and left it to dry for at least a couple of days
  2. Apply 1st coat of Textrol and allow to penetrate into the wood (15-30 minutes)
  3. Apply 2nd application and allow to penetrate for 15-30 minutes.
  4. If required repeat this procedure until the wood is saturated i.e. will accept no more oil.
  5. Do not allow Textrol to become touch dry or dry between coats
  6. Once the timber is saturated, brush out or wipe up any excess that has not penetrated to avoid shiny spots

Our top tips

  • Textrol should be applied ‘wet-on-wet’ meaning that you should not allow it to dry in between coats
  • Do not apply if cold and/or wet weather is expected within 24-48 hours
  • Always work the entire length of a deck board or horizontal siding to a logical break, such as a window or door frame
  • Never stop application in the middle of wall or fence panel
  • Vertical siding and fences should be coated from top to bottom
  • If applying Textrol by sprayer, always back-brush or back-roll afterwards to improve penetration and uniformity of coverage

before and after Textrol on sunbeds

Gary (Managing Director, Owatrol UK) says:

Textrol is not a surface coating, its place is in the wood not on the surface. Textrol protects by penetrating the wood, providing a rich matt finish.

There are of course other options when choosing a finish for your wood, depending on the look you are trying to achieve.

For an opaque coloured finish we would recommend Solid Colour Stain or Decking Paint, for hardwood decking we’d recommend Deks Olje D1 and for a water-based finish we’d suggest Aquadecks.


We hope you found this post on how to treat and finish weathered wood interesting. If you have any other advice or top tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you!

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest at @OwatrolUK or find us under the hashtag #OwatrolUK

Owatrol Team
About Owatrol Team

Our team are ready and willing to support you with your requirements whether it is protecting your newly laid deck or renovating a luxury yacht, whatever the application Owatrol has the solution you are looking for.

8 thoughts on “How to treat and finish weathered wood

  1. I have jet washed my table and chairs which are very grey, but we like the colour. We just want to seal them, but not to colour them. Which of your products do you recommend, or none? Thanks.

  2. I am keen to apply a wood preservative treatment before using Textrol. Barrettine have some dark wood colour preservatives that I hoped might brig up the colour to match some surrounding items. Would it work to appy and leave the Barrettine to ry in for a number of weeks, then apply Textrol?
    OR
    is there another wood preservative that you would recommend for use pre Textrol?
    OR
    would you suggest that uggest that Textrol provides adequate protection by itself? (though it does not add any colour).

    Your advice appreciated D Mckenna.

    1. Hi there,

      Textrol provides all the protection that you would need and it does actually come in 6 different colours (one of which is clear). If you would like any further help then please let us know.

      Many thanks,
      The Owatrol Team

  3. Last year we had Yellow Balau (hard wood?) decking laid in our garden. It has weathered & I wondered what you suggest to restore (& then maintain) the original colour of the wood. I prefer the natural look but not the weathered look!
    I’ve kept a few pieces of the original wood to test on – so all ideas considered.
    Many thanks,
    Liz

    1. Hi Liz,

      Firstly apologies for the long delay in response, your message was somehow caught in our spam filter. Your deck’s original colour can be restored using Net-Trol and if you’re looking for a natural finish we would recommend using D1 Pro in Honey tint to finish your yellow balau. It’s a saturating wood oil with excellent UV resistance which protects the wood from within. You apply it ‘wet-on-wet’ until the wood is fully saturated and then remove any excess to avoid shiny spots. D1 Pro’s place is within the wood and not on top.

      Hope to have been of help,
      The Owatrol Team

  4. I need to clean some hard wood patio doors some of which igdibo and some oak.
    I then want to preserve them with as much natural colour as I can.
    What do you recommend?

    1. Hi Kennedy,

      If your patio doors have not been finished with any varnish, wood oil, paint etc, then you would need to use Net-Trol clean and brighten the wood reviving the colour.
      Once this has been done you can use a finish of your choice.
      As you are looking for a natural finish, a popular product of ours is Textrol which comes in a variety of shades, including clear, which will accentuate the beauty of the wood without hiding it.

      Net-Trol – https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/net-trol/
      Textrol – https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/textrol/

      However, if the doors have a previous finish on them, it will need to be removed before application of Net-Trol and a finishing product.
      For wood oil removal we recommend using Aquanett and for other types of finish we recommend Prepdeck or DSP 800;

      Aquanett- https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/aquanett/
      Prepdeck – https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/prepdeck/
      DSP 800 – https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/dsp-800-multi-purpose-stripper/

      I hope this was helpful – please feel free to contact us again should you require any further assistance.

      All the best,
      The Owatrol Team

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