If you have Adirondack chairs that have been in the family for some time, you may have noticed that they're starting to show their age.
If they were originally painted, they may look a little dinged up, with some of the paint worn down.
If they were stained, you may notice that the stain has been worn away where bodies regularly touch the surface of the wood.
If you are just coming into ownership of these family Adirondack chairs, they may look like they have been unloved for years and be in serious need of attention.
It's time to triage your Adirondack chairs and get them back into working order.
Check the Wood The first thing you need to know about your Adirondack chairs is if they are in a shape to be kept operational, or if you should cut your losses.
Take a little time and get down with the chairs.
Carefully check each piece of wood that has gone into the making of the chairs.
Is it in good shape? Are their cracks in the wood? If there are too many cracks, you have to decide if the cracks are going to damage the integrity of the piece and make it dangerous.
Remove Current Finish Next you have to decide what you want these Adirondack chairs to look like.
If they are currently showing a lot of signs of wear and tear on their paint finish, that is going to have to go.
You can use any sort of stripping compound to remove the old paint and see what you are dealing with underneath.
If there were areas of thick paint, the stripping process may give you a chance to get a better look at the wood to spot any structural problems.
Refinishing Paint Once you have taken your Adirondack chairs back to their base wood, you will have to decide what course of action to take.
If you are going to paint the chairs, don't just pull out a tub of paint quite yet.
You are going to want to put a primer coat on the bare wood.
This will give you chair a little extra protection, and hopefully mean you won't have to go through this process again for a long time.
Once you have put a primer coat on, paint away.
Stain Many people prefer stain to paint on their Adirondack chairs.
This keeps the wood look to the furniture pieces while still protecting them from the elements.
The main decision you will have to make when choosing stain is whether to select oil or water based stains for the wood.
Each has pros and cons.
Water based stains don't last as long as oil based stains but are easier to clean up and use and are less toxic to the environment than their oil counterparts.
Keep It Clean No matter what you choose to do to finish your Adirondack chairs, the best way to keep them looking great for years to come is to keep them on a regular cleaning schedule.
Dust off dirt and debris and use a mild detergent when necessary to keep them looking like new.
If they were originally painted, they may look a little dinged up, with some of the paint worn down.
If they were stained, you may notice that the stain has been worn away where bodies regularly touch the surface of the wood.
If you are just coming into ownership of these family Adirondack chairs, they may look like they have been unloved for years and be in serious need of attention.
It's time to triage your Adirondack chairs and get them back into working order.
Check the Wood The first thing you need to know about your Adirondack chairs is if they are in a shape to be kept operational, or if you should cut your losses.
Take a little time and get down with the chairs.
Carefully check each piece of wood that has gone into the making of the chairs.
Is it in good shape? Are their cracks in the wood? If there are too many cracks, you have to decide if the cracks are going to damage the integrity of the piece and make it dangerous.
Remove Current Finish Next you have to decide what you want these Adirondack chairs to look like.
If they are currently showing a lot of signs of wear and tear on their paint finish, that is going to have to go.
You can use any sort of stripping compound to remove the old paint and see what you are dealing with underneath.
If there were areas of thick paint, the stripping process may give you a chance to get a better look at the wood to spot any structural problems.
Refinishing Paint Once you have taken your Adirondack chairs back to their base wood, you will have to decide what course of action to take.
If you are going to paint the chairs, don't just pull out a tub of paint quite yet.
You are going to want to put a primer coat on the bare wood.
This will give you chair a little extra protection, and hopefully mean you won't have to go through this process again for a long time.
Once you have put a primer coat on, paint away.
Stain Many people prefer stain to paint on their Adirondack chairs.
This keeps the wood look to the furniture pieces while still protecting them from the elements.
The main decision you will have to make when choosing stain is whether to select oil or water based stains for the wood.
Each has pros and cons.
Water based stains don't last as long as oil based stains but are easier to clean up and use and are less toxic to the environment than their oil counterparts.
Keep It Clean No matter what you choose to do to finish your Adirondack chairs, the best way to keep them looking great for years to come is to keep them on a regular cleaning schedule.
Dust off dirt and debris and use a mild detergent when necessary to keep them looking like new.