How To Stain IKEA Outdoor Furniture

If this is your first time checking out the site, welcome! I’m Marie and we have been renovating our 1929 Tudor Revival style house for the last few years. This is the first time we are taking part in the One Room Challenge; the idea of working on a project timeline with the camaraderie of others is very motivating and appealing. We are working on our backyard for this round. Make sure to check out the other Guest Participants and Designers further in the post.

Well, tree trimmers came to work on our pine tree after a huge branch fell earlier this year. While they were working they suggested we have the arborist return to check out the patio the contractor started to dig for. They think the amount of dirt we shifted around might be to heavy for the tree roots; apparently even three to four inches can affect tree roots.

Luckily the arborist is able to come this week. Hoping they don’t find any issues or if they do, hoping there is minimal changes needed to carry on with the patio! Wish us luck!!

While waiting for the arborist’s visit I knocked out a couple items from my to-do list. I decided on the plants for the retaining wall and purchased….

The fragrant plant option!

I arrived at this decision due to comments on last week’s post and the nursery had the most of this plant in stock. The original groundcover I planned to use didn’t actually look great when I placed it next to the Daphne. I chose another plant that provided a bit more contrast. It is difficult to see from this photo, but there are tiny white flowers. Hoping to plant these and the rest (not shown) next week!

The next thing I completed is the refinishing of our IKEA Applaro seating. We purchased a set after buying our first house when we lived in California and made the move to Seattle. As I mentioned earlier, we debated buying a new set, but to save some money I decided to refinish the stain.

1. Gather Materials to Stain Wood IKEA Furniture.

Gloves, mask, sand paper/sanding block, stain (we have had this IKEA stain since we bought our set, over seven years ago!), and cheesecloth. You can use a brush or sponge instead of cheesecloth. We happened to have cheesecloth readily available (read- I was too lazy to dig through our messy basement of totes to find anything else lol).

These steps will work on other wood outdoor furniture too. Just make sure to check your wood type and any manufacturing recommendations before starting the project.

2. Sand the wood furniture.

If the texture of the wood isn’t terribly rough, 120 grit will work. You can go higher grit if needed. Test a section to see what works best.

3. Wipe off sanding dust.

Use a damp cloth to wipe any dust before you start to stain.

4. Fill any necessary gaps in the wood.

A bit of plastic wood filler can fix smaller chips in wood. If the section is too large, this fix won’t do.

This brand of wood filler is great because it turns from pink to natural to indicate that it is dry and ready for sanding!

You can patch up holes and let them dry while you start staining other sections.

The dry time is 2 to 6 hours for shallow holes and up to 36 hours for deeper holes.

5. Start to stain the wood furniture.

Once sanding is done, it is time to apply the stain. I simply hold the cheesecloth to the bottle and invert it to pour out the stain. The cheesecloth ended up working very will in between the slats.

If using a brush, pour the stain into a paint tray.

The wood instantly looks refreshed!

6. Apply a second coat of stain to wood furniture.

After letting the first coat dry, apply one more coat. Follow drying instructions on the stain bottle. You wouldn’t want to ruin fabric with wet stain! Can’t wait to style this sofa once the patio is complete!

To extend the life of your outdoor furniture, make sure to cover it when not in use or move into a shed during winter if necessary.

What remains on the list.

Make sure to check in next week to see how the arborist visit goes and if our plan stays the same or changes. Thanks for reading!

To do:

• Build low retaining wall in east portion of the yard, this is space closest to the back door where there is currently gravel.
• Order pavers, caps for wall, blocks for wall
• Order pea gravel.
• Finish dismantling paver walkway and replanting Irish Moss.
• New grass.
• Break up current patio slab.
• Build a border (rocks?) for patio space.
• Fill patio space with square concrete pavers and pea gravel.
• Shop for plants.
• Add plants along edges of retaining walls.
• Repair and stain current patio furniture (or source used/new depending on time and budget)
• Remove small pavers and Irish Moss (to be replanted)

Now that I have the furniture looking fresh, I am excited to shop for new pillows! Here are some that I came across.

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Black Pillow Combo

This is one of my favorite combos. I think it is very versatile and can fit with all styles.

Blue Pillow Combo

I like the shibori prints that evoke a boho earthy vibe, but I also like a more traditional look with solids.

Pink/Coral Pillow Combo

I don’t think I will go with pink at this time, but in general I love pink!!

Neutral Pillow Combo

With kids and the amount of dirt that gets kicked up in the yard, all neutral palette won’t work. However, one or two of these mixed with the other combos above, would look very chic!

Multi-color Combo

After finishing the patio area for the One Room Challenge, I had so much fun prepping for fall fire pit sessions. We even made this privacy screen from a salvaged picket fence to use in our outdoor spaces. Our Pendleton blankets were my inspiration for color scheme. While at IKEA I found pillow covers in primary colors that matched the blankets perfectly! Below the photo I linked similar options that you can shop.

Which pillow color combo is your fave? Let me know in comments!

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Head over to see what the other participants are up to!

For more outdoor inspiration, check out our small patio decorated two different ways!