black spots on Cypress Adirondack Chairs
bleubassplyr
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| I’ve made several sets of <!—-><!—->Adirondack <!—-> furniture out of <!—-> <!—->Cypress<!—-><!—-> and stained, one coat. Some places have black splotches/spots on the wood. There was not excessive moisture. |
The furniture was finished with minwax stain, 1 coat. They’ve been outside on a deck and have been exposed to some rain, not much though. They have a good amount of sun exposure. The wood is kiln dried cypress.
I washed some spots with a bleach/water solution, let them dry, and applied another coat of stain. This worked. How can I prevent the black spots in the future?
There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Replies
Dang.. Wood IS Wood.. Why worry about it..??
If sombody asks tell them that you put them in there so somebody would ask and you could get them one of your 'special' drinks for noticing it.......
I wish I could have that approach but this is an issue on a set I sold to someone I regularly work with. The black blotches on my own set I've ignored until now.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
on a set I sold to someone I regularly work with..That is a different story BUT wood is wood and it will do strange things..Not sure how to answer your problem but show them yours? So they understand.. ?? I'd bet not but not your fault...Hell, even stone changes color outside!
If the bleach removed the black spots, that should be the end of it.
But, if the Minwax stain is the only surface protection, maybe you should think about adding a coat or two of oil -- to help the wood shed water.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Thanks. The bleach does work for getting rid of most of the black mold, if that's what it is. The next problem is that the color gets washed out too which requires more staining. Everything I've read tells you that Cypress weathers well and looks great doing so. These Adirondack chairs are a lot of work as it is, I don't want to add more if I don't have to. People buy them with the expectation that they are getting a finished product so it's disturbing to have to add any work for anyone to the deal. There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Hi,
I bought some cypress from a fellow that reclaims the lumber from old water tanks and pickle vats, among other things, I have a similar problem only the whloe board has turned black.I ripped the slats from the same piece and only one piece is this discolored . the guy said it was just the salts leaching out, I told him "it was just s****y ,and gee now you remember to say something about it "I tried to attach a shot of it"
I was going to suggest oxalic acid too -- if the bleach didn't work.Cypress is not available around here, so I have never worked with it. But my understanding is that left untreated (or stained) it will eventually turn a darkish gray. Would you think you might have any luck just selling the black spots as part of the deal when you use reclaimed wood? They would certainly be less noticeable after the wood starts to turn gray. Altogether, I think you may be better off forgetting the Minwax stain (for the reason's Howie mentioned), and just let the wood go natural.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I don't think the stain is the culprit. I've attached a picture of the chairs in their glory-before splotches.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
When exactly did the black splotches appear?I thought they were in the raw stock, and you used the stain to disguise them (after bleaching).You did a great job on the chairs. ********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
The blotches appeared weeks after the chairs were completed, stained, and left out in the weather. I have some test samples left out in the weather now to see if this will happen again. I have pieces that are left unfinished (beginning to show signs of black blotches), pieces that are stained, pieces that are finished with marine varnish-2 coats, and pieces that are stained and finished with marine varnish.
It's becoming obvious to me that Cypress left without a top coat of some sort will show some discoloration in the form of black blotches or black mold.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Black spots of cypress
Were you able to find a solution to this problem? I am trying to seal and new porch with an entire deck made out of cypress and I am already, in the first few weeks, getting the black spots and streaks. Please reply as soon as you can, I'm stuck right now. Thanks!
Black stains on wood are almost always caused by mineral content water such as rainwater. It gets through the finish--no finish is completely impervious to water--and then stains the wood. Any damage to the finish itself will allow water to get to the wood and stain it also.
Minwas stains are not intended for exterior use and whether used indoors or out, they require overcoating with some type of finish. Just the stain itself is not a satisfactory finish.
The bleach that gets rid of black stains is oxalic acid. You can get it at most good paint stores.Howie.........
Edited 9/15/2005 4:37 pm ET by HowardAcheson
Thanks Howie!There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Where are the spots? If they're showing up at your fasteners they may be due to corrosion of the screw or nail head. Did you use steel wool during the finishing work? If so, you may have left small steel fibers in or on the surface which are corroding.
The pictures of the chairs I posted were taken on a new set. I'll post a few pics of the black blotches when the rain lets up today or tomorrow.
The spots are not caused by bolts or screws. That I'm certain of.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Finished a Cypress yard swing and hung it under a large Post Oak about 2 weeks ago, and it has several black spots, small and large on it. Been rained on about 2-3 times, and hit with a sprinkler too. The spots are not only on the horizontal slats, but on the end grain, and on the under side too. Gonna bleach it twice a year, and live with it. Doesn't hurt the sittin'an'swingin' one iota...
I've attached some pics. There are two pictures of the black blotches, one being a close up. I have a picture of a chair arm that has been bleached and stained again. I'm going to add marine varnish on this chair. There is a picture of some sample pieces I made to test the various pieces in the elements. From left to right-- Two thin pieces have only stain on them. The next is left natural. The next has Krylon white Polyurethane. Next is 2 coats of Man O War Marine Varnish. Next are two pieces that are stained and varnished. All are Cypress. I'm making some white Oak test pieces too.
I don't mind the black spots. Clients do.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Looks like mildew to me. I thought that cypress heartwood was known for decay resistance when unfinished.
I would second (third?) those who question the use of Minwax stain as an exterior finish.
I have made three of those chairs, same design as yours. Each time I tell myself it will be the last. What a PITA! I have to wonder how in the world can you get paid enough to make it worthwhile? Cypress for me runs about $3.50/bf.
FWIW, I did one in white oak, it has held up great over the past year, outside, but out of direct weather. The other two were cypress, and that was a whole lot easier. I finished them all with deck sealer. They look fine, but they stink something fierce for a while.
Right now I'm paying $2.30 a board foot for Cypress. It works well, is nice and light, and looks great initially. I've already put a disclaimer on my web site warning that the stain is for coloring only and that a marine varnish is recommended. It's disappointing to find this out now after reading that Cypress normally turns a silver gray color. Even the test board I left natural is beginning to show some mildew stain.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
I'm making one out of White Oak in the next few days. Did you put any finish on your White oak chairs?There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
I had some sapwood in the boards I used, so, yes, I did use a deck sealer.
You may already know this, but working the oak was a whole different deal than the cypress. Easily twice the work and the chair will weigh a ton.
The only thing about that design that I found fault with was the piece that supports the back will dig into your elbows if you slide your arm back along the arm of the chair. After the first chair I started "maloofing" the back support into the arm, and that solved the problem.
I haven't noticed the piece in the back bothering my elbow but I'll check it out. One thing I did notice was the chair racked side to side easily. To eliminate that I added a piece under the back of the seat, between the legs. This piece runs from side to side in a vertical position but it's not visible. It virtually eliminates side to side wiggle. I hope that was a clear discription. I also double screw the two outside and the middle chair back slats and glue everything with Titebond II.
I have noticed the Oak is more work. It's heavy plus I'll have to predrill everything, not just pilot holes for the screw heads like on the Cypress. I'll probably put that one on my deck so I won't have to move it much.There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
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