My Rattan Set Score!

I recently acquired these two pretzel rattan frames. One is a 3-cushion and the other is a 2-cushion. The best part is I paid absolutely NOTHING for them - Zip, Zero, Nada!

Unfortunately, they are in sad shape. I've never tackled a rattan restoration before so I looked up some old threads on TC to get me started. As of this writing, my only expense has been an $18 bottle of Citristrip.

I started this thread to post pics of the progress of this set. Hopefully, I won't get too frustrated and junk 'em. Wish me luck....

The 3-cushion is in rough shape --

I just finished removing all the binding on the 3-cushion and it broke off easily as it was really brittle.

More pics to come as this project progresses....

Pop, I have some binding you can have. Score!

Pop,

I also have a bunch of the binding if you need more. Of course, it will mean you have to earn it...

Great score Poly-Pop!!
Warm soapy water and a green scrubbie...
Scrub 'em down real good on a sunny day and let'em dry. Then a good dose of boiled linseed oil.
It's a pretty simple routine but it makes a world of difference.
Wax on... Wax off...
Can't wait to see some after pics.
Aloha,
:tiki:

Pop-
Good for you, that is a great score & you GOTTA love the price!
I look forward to seeing the end result.

Best of luck with the restoration!

Thanks guys. I'm new at rattan restoration (never done it befofe) so I'll take all the advice I can get. I searched here on TC for some info and brought up this old thread that was definitely helpful and gave me some tips.

On 2005-02-08 15:10, Tiki Royale wrote:
Great score Poly-Pop!!
Warm soapy water and a green scrubbie...
Scrub 'em down real good on a sunny day and let'em dry. Then a good dose of boiled linseed oil.

Thanks TR! Hey -- did you end up doing the coin carwash deal on your stools? I notice that posted using a stain on one pair and then you were going to use the stripper on another pair. How did that work out for you?

Other questions:
Warm water and soap before or after the Citrustrip?
How much boiled linseed oil and what procedure did you follow?
How long did it take to dry?
Whats the difference between using boiled linseed oil and tung oil on rattan?

I read online somewhere that when working with boiled linseed oil to restore rattan, you should follow a schedule of once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month for a year. According to that source, if you follow this schedule it will take about 6 months before you truly get a warm finish on the rattan as it takes time and multiple coats for the linseed oil to do its trick.

I hope to get a chance to work on these a little more this weekend. I'll post pics if that happens.

Hey Poly-Pop,
I never did do the carwash thing with those old stools. They had been painted with some pretty thick paint which I tried to Ciristrip off with no luck. I ended up just painting them with some light yellow paint for a quasi-faux rattan look. They're fine when the lights are low.

As for green scrubbies and linseed oil...
I scored a sofa that was in about the same shape that yours are in. I didn't use any stripper on it. Just warm water with some Murphy's Oil Soap in it and a scrubbie.

I hosed the sofa in the backyard and then scrubbed it real good. Most of the old varnish came flaking off and I just kept scrubbing all over until I felt it looked clean and felt smooth. Of course there are still a few dark spots from years of neglect which I could not get out. I did this on a warm day and let the sofa sit in the sun to dry for a couple of hours. I wnet back and re-scrubbed any spots I missed and let dry again.

When the rattan was all dry it looked real light and almost bleached out. I got some rubber gloves and a soft rag and poured some oil itno the rag and began rubbing it into the rattan. I've never heard of the schedule you cited but it sounds pretty serious. I just slathered the oil on the sofa and let it sit for a while then went back with another cloth and rubbed off the excess. You could probably do another coat the next day depending on how much oil the rattan will suck up. You do need to let the final application of oil dry before you put cushions on or anything.

Anyway, this is the process I used and it really made the sofa and another set of stools look great. I did the same thing to my pretzel chair but after the oil, I brushed it with some Minwax "Wipe-on Poly" in gloss. This really sealed it and makes the rattan nice and shiny. The sofa and stools have a nice warm satin glow but I think I might hit them with the gloss this summer. Until then, I just wipe them down with some of that Orange-Glo furniture oil/polish.

Hope this helps. Drom me a line if ya got ?'s
Can't wait to see how they come out.
Aloha,
:tiki:

TR -- wow, thanks for all the detail. Your reply helps tremendously! I lucked out on these rattan frames because the previous owner tried to restore them and gave up himself. He used Citrustrip on the 2 cushion frame and a damp rag to wipe off the excess once it stripped the original finish off. Still, he wasn't able to get a lot of the old finish off in all the nooks and crannies...

Not sure how many hands this set has passed through over the years but it looks like its gone through several resto attempts by the thickness of stain/varnish/etc in all the hard to reach spots. And so, now its my turn to give it a go.

And after all is said and done -- I'm still going to have to get cushions made.

Not sure if you got a close look at the bar stools we have. They looked like your stuff, but the bar was in better shape. I used a stripper and a Scotchbrite pad to get in the tight places, hosed it off on my neighbors yard when he wasn't looking. Did that 2 or 3 times to get all the finish off. After it dried it was pretty bleached out. Instead of linseed oil I finished them with 2 coats of Minwax Polyshades (stain & polyurethane) in honey pine, using a fine scotchbrite pad after each coat. 2 days total time. The flaws and age spots show thru the finish so they still have a vintage look and more closely match the bar. After finish we had them re-upholstered with a nice orange vinyl. Good luck. Hope that helps.

I purchased almost the exact same set about 3 months ago. The difference is that the sofa was in three sections. I also got a small coffee table and side table for $130. I might need to re-finish (mine is in a little better shape). Anyway, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the cushions so I went to Lowe's and found these patio furniture cushions that seem to fit perfectly. I want to put some stuffing or "cushiony" materials but it was fast and relatively inexpensive.

Hey,

Took me almost a year to drag my stuff out of the garage and start with the Citrus strip today. Just wondered how this project was going. Any updated photos?

Ahh... the set. They are at my place now. I scrubbed them down and pulled some nails sticking out, but that's about it for now until I sew up some cushions and slap some finish on 'em.

Wow! Nothing like vintage rattan, especially FREE vintage rattan! Congrats!! I really want to hear how the refinishing goes. I would like to try it on a couple pieces we have. Please continue to post pics!

Here's a couple of pics of a table project... I found it in the thrift in pretty sad shape (sorry I lost the "before" pics). The rattan looked pretty much like the bands in Poly-Pop's chairs at eht beginning of this thread and the top was completely shot. Looked like it had been on the back patio for years.
I took the top off and measured it, then it promptly fell apart. I got some new mahogany boards and my woodworking neighbor helped me glue them up and cut a new top. Mahogany makes the table. It's deep red richness with the gold warmpth of the rattan are a winning combination
I scrubbed the base really well and doused it real well with the good 'ol boiled linseed oil. Once that dried I gave it and the top a good coat of polyurathane and put them back together.
Voila!

Aloha,
:tiki:

[ Edited by: Tiki Royale 2007-05-10 00:24 ]

Nice job Tiki Royale. Looks beautiful.

Mrs Hoptiki

[ Edited by: Mr&Mrs BPHoptiki 2007-05-10 11:34 ]

On 2005-02-09 21:02, bongofury wrote:
I finished them with 2 coats of Minwax Polyshades (stain & polyurethane) in honey pine, using a fine scotchbrite pad after each coat.

bongofury thanks for the great tip! I found an entire suite of Frankl rattan at a thrift store last summer for $300. The original vinyl pads were in great shape but the rattan was a bit thrashed because someone had used it outside at the beach. I was able to just quickly sand it with a scotchbrite 0 grit and paint on one coat of the minwax. It looks great, perfect in our backyard tiki bar area. Thanks again!