# Forum Home Renovation Decking  Merbau decking - before oiling

## Extracare

I can't find anything on what should be done to a new Merbau deck before oiling. 
I have heard it should be washed weekly for a couple of months to leech out the tannings. 
Is this correct? or should I get oiling as soon as it goes down?

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## alanm

The first few rains willl drip a lot of tannin and it will stain concrete temporarily (few months). 
We waited a couple of months and then gave it a bit of a wash with soapy water and a rinse. Clear water came off and there was no need to flood it and waste water. If it's open to the rain then you could probably skip the wash. 
Let it dry for two or so days, depending on heat and wind. Then oil it and it will look magnificent. We re-oil every12 months or so to keep the original colour. One coat only on re-coats otherwise it feels sticky and attracts the dust.

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## Larry McCully

The old golden rule is that to leave it installed and exposed for 3 to 6 months then either chem wash the deck or get a floor sander in to sand and coat it . The latter is the best method in my opinion. Some builders install and coat immediately, i dont think it is a good idea to do this , if you have the ability to wait then do so. Merbau or some call it Quilla has a very high taninin content, So high infact that the tanninin will extract out of the timber when you are coating it with a solvent based polyurethane and turn the coating mix yellow. I reckon if you could harvest the tanninin, it would properly make a good stain.

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## silentC

I plan to leave ours for at least 6 months (it's been down for two) before doing anything to it. It is still leaching tannin every time it rains. 
There's a deck cleaner you can get. Forget the name but it's in a clear 4 litre plastic bottle - should be able to get it at most hardware shops. I'll give it a wash with that then let it dry before putting on the deck oil.

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## Gumby

I used Feast Watson decking oil on mine. They have a deck cleaner too. Both available at Bunnings. 
I was told about 8 weeks is enough. We had quite a bit of rain during that time and by the 8th week I couldn't see any tanin around. Haven't seen any since either.  :Smilie:   
When you oil, put it on pretty thin, especially the second coat. Otherwise, as was stated in another post, it remains sticky for ages. I have 3 coats on the exposed areas and 2 on the under cover section. I intend to recoat every year. It's a pretty quick job. Just hard on the knees.  :Rolleyes:  
This is the oil.......  http://www.spec-net.com.au/press/1105/feast_watson.htm

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## silentC

> I was told about 8 weeks is enough

  Maybe in Melbourne it is  :Wink:

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## Extracare

> ... or get a floor sander in to sand and coat it .

  That works for me - being a floor sander. :Biggrin:  
Thanks for the advice all of you. Seems the consensus is to leave about 3 months and then chemically clean or sand before oiling. 
I'll use a short nap (6mm) roller to apply it. That's what I use with poly on floors and it gives good even coverage.

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## Gumby

> That works for me - being a floor sander. 
> Thanks for the advice all of you. Seems the consensus is to leave about 3 months and then chemically clean or sand before oiling. 
> I'll use a short nap (6mm) roller to apply it. That's what I use with poly on floors and it gives good even coverage.

  Oiling a deck is different to putting a poly finish on a floor. Just brush it on and spread it out. It sinks into the timber anyway.

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## SIMONLEWIS

Hi,
I'm in a very similar situation with my Merbau deck. it has been down for 2 weeks and I'm not sure what to do. Does climate and if your deck is covered matter. I live in mildura, we average about 22 about now and then as high as 42's through summer. My deck is fully covered. Should I use the deck cleaner and then wait 8 weeks. or do i wash it a few times with the hose and then use deck cleaner. Do you need to get it sanded? What is the benefit of sanding as apposed to not sanding. Roughly how much would it cost to sand a 10mx 7m deck?
Is it best to use a tinted oil?
Sorry for all the questions - but I've done the hard work and want to make sure its finished right. I want the deck to be as shiny and red as possible.

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## Gumby

I sanded one or two rogue boards that were a bit 'furry' and they were lighter as a result. But timber darkens in the sunlight and now they are the same as the unsanded boards. 
It's the water which gets rid of the tannins so I'd be hosing it down each week, then run over it with a broom. Do that for 6 - 8 weeks, bung on the oil (clean it with a special cleaner if you like) and go from there. If you go to the local paint place or Bunnings, have a read of the instructions on the can. (Then tell me what they say, I never read instructions.)  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

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## jonassen

I Have Oreviusly Worked In The Timber Indusry Importing Kwila (merbbau) From Png
To Get The Tanning Out Of The Wood You Will Nedd To Water It Down  A Few Times Over A Coupled Of Weeks, You Will Soon See When The Tanning The Out Of The Tinber It Will Stop
*bleeding*
Stains Can Be Hard To Rid Off
Jonassen

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## bpj1968

I put down a Merbau deck.  It was from a pack that was stored in the weather.  The tannin had crystalised between the layers, up to a mm thick.  I had laid out the boards around the garden so they sloped and gave them a squirt with a hose to rinse them off.  Once laid, took a few weeks as it was a big job, I washed them down with Cabot's Deckclean (I think that was the name)  Then coated with Cabot's deckoil.  Haven't had a problem with the Tannin leaching up.  It's been a few years and have recoated the deck about once a year.   
I use deck clean before I recoat each year, it's amazing how well it works.  Tried one coat for a recoat, but found in a month that it looked very patchy.  Since then 2 coats each time, one day apart.  I use the tinted oil, gives an even colour, but over the years has built up an opaque look. 
When oiling make sure you have good weather throughout the drying time.  Other wise if there is rain, or dew the water beads, the oil floats on the beads some forming a skin, the rest drips down the side of the bead, leaving a crater like appearance.   
The first phot shows the "craters".  This happended when the oil was still quite wet.  The second shows what happended when the oil was almost dry then it rained.

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## SIMONLEWIS

Thanks Brian thats very helpful - I will remmeber to turn my sprinklers off for a few days - the wind picks up and most of the water lands on the deck. In mildura we have hot days and very cold nights - so i suppose it will be a morning job so the sun can have some time to dry it during the day.
Do you know if this would be any good mor Merbau?? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/10-Litre-feas...QQcmdZViewItem

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## bpj1968

Feast WEston are supposed to be good, most decking oils come in "Natural" and also for different woods, Jarrah, Merbau etc. 
Natural has little or no pigment, each of teh others, are basically the natural oil, with pigments to compliment the timdber, and blend them to similar colours. 
Jarrah would be a bit more brown than Merbau, more red which used on Merbau would change its colour.  I would use Merbau or natural on Merbau

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## Dusty

> That works for me - being a floor sander. 
> Thanks for the advice all of you. Seems the consensus is to leave about 3 months and then chemically clean or sand before oiling. 
> I'll use a short nap (6mm) roller to apply it. That's what I use with poly on floors and it gives good even coverage.

  Good day.
Go with a Lambswool applicator to lay down the coating (brush around the edges, as per inside). 
Also, Polycure now have a great decking oil product (same as Feast Watson) in ten litre drums at a fraction of bunnings prices. :Wink:   
Good luck.

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## woodsprite

With our recent extension we also added a LOT of merbau decking, which has sat through Winter and now seems to have lost most of the tannin. Put the first coat of oil on yesterday in fact and it looks great. I reallyl ike the Sceney's Old Fashioned oil - cheap, rolled on easily and only slightly darkened the timber. Noticed today that the timber has lightened up a bit . The Sceney's stuff is basically the old turps and linseed mix, with some added ingerdients. Used it on the oregon verandah posts and once it dries it leaves a nice hard satin finish. It didn't change the colour of the oregon, just enhanced it.
Have been using Sceney's for years on outside timbers and I reckon it is a great product. 
The decking will get another coat in a few days, then again in November, and then it should be right for about 2 years before needing another coat.

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