First things first, lets dig it out of the grass! It’s been thrown onto this area and then we started digging away the couch grass along the border for the Edible Hedge 2 years ago now, and it got covered and was left there to rot – quite literally.

Next up was having it dry out in the sun on the patio and assess the damage and condition of the frame. If it wasn’t salvageable I would’ve chopped it to bits for the fire pit.

There were a few bit looking half eaten away but the structure is still intact and fixable!

Next was a thorough sanding ( I used grit p80 on a mouse sander) and went through quite a few sheets. Sanding wood that has been out in the elements is advised. The sanding opens the pores of the wood, allowing the paint to seep in and seal it against the elements.

Sanding this gave a good idea on the rest of the frame condition and I was pleasantly surprised that it looked so good still.

After sanding I gave it a good brush off, then a wet wash, twice. Once to remove the saw dust, second to rinse any left over residue. I let the frame dry out in the sun and once fully dry I moved on to the next step.

Wood hardener. I treated every since joint, screw hole and half rotten area.

I applied this liberally so the hardener could sink into the grain and fibre of the frame.

This means that any opening that could let water in is now sealed off against any further damage.

Once fully dry (next day for me as I applied it in the evening), I sanded the treated areas so the paint I was going to apply would adhere to it.

I had to take the party indoors due to all the rain we had last week and once set up I could paint several coats in one day. Cuprinol actually recommends doing that with this type of paint.

The paint contains wax which creates another weather proof barrier. In total I applied 3 coats on every single surface.

Next up was adding a beam in the hole of the frame. I do not know what used to be there nor do I know why there’s a hole. All I knew was how I was going to fit it and I had just the perfect piece of wood!

Or so I though, ended up having to saw a slither off on the length ( you can just about see the black line where I’m going to saw).

To attach this little piece of beam, I added a little plank that fits into the width of the inside of the frame, meaning that, that piece screws into the new beam as well as into the frame.

I marked how they fit together before I drilled holes into all the pieces. I then sanded each piece all over (this did kind of removed my markers after sanding – but I now had drill holes to line up instead)

Gave the two new pieces of wood 2-3 coats of paint before I screwed them together, and before screwing them to the table frame.

Again, this is so the paint got into every single crack, screw hole and grain, making it as water tight as possible.

Next I cut 4 planks to size, I would’ve liked a longer table top but the planks I had of the same thickness had a short one and that was just about long enough.

I then sanded the planks thoroughly on all sides and oiled them on all sides using a brush and a bowl with boiled linseed oil (it comes in a bottle).

I let that air dry in the house (the weather is still a lot of rain at this point) whilst airing (can get a bit smelly and makes you light headed – so air it out!)

For the last step I put the planks on the floor, right side down, semi spread them out evenly and put the table frame on top. Made sure everything was even on all sides – I eyeballed this.

Then drilled holes where the screws were going as well as adding a couple of cross beams on the underside of the table top to help keep things in place as well as stabilise the whole thing. Screwed all the screws in and voila! we have a “new” table for outside!

Next up a sleeper bench seat for in the garden