faded merbau

[jayse]

Just got my decking timber delivered. 90x19 kiln dried merbau.
My concern is that its quite faded already, only the ends of the boards are deep red colour I was looking for. The ends are like this as they are waxed to prevent drying i assume. have i got dud timber. The seller told me the timber will darken in the weather. Its light when kept out of the sun. Thanx jayse

[Vernonv]

When you say it's faded, do you mean it's grey (weathered)? or do you mean it's freshly sawn/milled?

I would be concerned if you bought new decking and it's already weathered.

If it's only freshly milled, then it will (as your supplier said) darken with exposure to the sun.

[Flowboy]

Hi Jayse,
don't think I've seen anything darken with weathering:confused: . You could try wetting a faded part of a board with Meths or turps and seeing if the colour comes up. If it does, then when you seal it, it should be fine. Bear in mind it may not be a dark red, but a brownish/yellow. Sanding will probably also help.

Hope this helps,

Rob

[Vernonv]

don't think I've seen anything darken with weathering

Hi Rob,
You do get an initial darkening of the timber, but yes, it will eventually bleach and go grey with prolonged weathering.

[jayse]

The colour is pinkish, with only the waxed ends being deep red. Their are stains on it where the leaching of merbau has occured.
Going to give the metho a go. thx. Keeping posting me advice though.

[jayse]

Metho didnt work, timber supplier told me darkening would occur quicker if it was wet, so I've just hosed down five lengths.
They are in lengths of 5 tied togother, and the unexposed sides are pink yellowish in colour. Certainly lighter than the outer boards.

[Vernonv]

Hey Jayse,
That pinkish colour is fine (i.e. it's the freshly milled colour).

Give it some time in the sun and it will darken.

As for tannin stains - clean/scrub the deck with oxalic acid (before oiling) and it will remove them.

[RufflyRustic]

To be honest, sounds like it has definitely been weathered. If so, sanding or another method of taking off the top layer is the only way I know to bring back the original colour. Are you able to test sand a small area?

cheers
Wendy

Edit - Crossed posts with Vernonv's - I've only come across dark merbau, not pink. That's what I based my reply on and it may not apply to your Merbau.

[jayse]

Ruffly, the weird thing is thats its lighter as you go further into the pack, the darker are the outer timbers.
Hoping vernon is on the money it will darken from freshly milled colour.
The timber is packed into 5 lengths per pack, tied with string.

[RufflyRustic]

Well, I just learnt another new piece of info today :) Thanks VernonV

I'd be interested in hearing how it turns out for you Jayse.

cheers
Wendy

[Gumby]

Don't forget to let the tannins leach out for about 6 weeks before applying any finish. You need to get the oils out of it and the more it gets wet, the better. Don't store it on concrete either. It will stain it badly.

[jayse]

Thx gumby for your help.
Its currently sitting on the joists.
So the maximum darkness will come out after 6 weeks?
Or how long?

[Flowboy]

Hi all,

Sorry guys, I'd forgotten just how much tannin Merbau exudes.

Rob

[Gumby]

Thx gumby for your help.
Its currently sitting on the joists.
So the maximum darkness will come out after 6 weeks?
Or how long?

It could.
Sanding it will make it lighter. I did that in a few rough spots which looked a lot lighter when they were sanded but have now darkened back and are impossible to pick from the areas I didn't sand.
Start fixing it down and let it sit for several weeks as I said. Mine is about 6 months old now and I wouldn't say it's darkened all that much. Maybe it has but it's like having a baby. You don't notice the change when you see it every day. :D I left it for about 7 weeks before I put the first coat on it.

I used Feast & Watson decking oil (natural). 3 coats.

First coats soaks in well. Second coat sits on top a bit more so spread it further and not to thickly or it won't dry and will remain sticky. Same for coat 3.

[mic-d]

Don't forget to let the tannins leach out for about 6 weeks before applying any finish. You need to get the oils out of it and the more it gets wet, the better. Don't store it on concrete either. It will stain it badly.

Hi Gumby, I was about to lay 500lm of KD Kwilla and the timber company told me to get it finished off straight away. They reasoned that it stopped the moisture loss under baking sun ( might go from 12% down to 6% or so). They didn't have an answer when I asked how this could happen when only one side was finished.:rolleyes:
Mostly, I've heard let decking weather too, for reasons like leaching and breakdown of machine burnishing. Still, would like to know what the consensus is, finish straight away or let weather a few weeks.

CHeers
Michael

[Gumby]

Hi Gumby, I was about to lay 500lm of KD Kwilla and the timber company told me to get it finished off straight away. They reasoned that it stopped the moisture loss under baking sun ( might go from 12% down to 6% or so). They didn't have an answer when I asked how this could happen when only one side was finished.:rolleyes:
Mostly, I've heard let decking weather too, for reasons like leaching and breakdown of machine burnishing. Still, would like to know what the consensus is, finish straight away or let weather a few weeks.

CHeers
Michael

Sorry mate, I have no idea on Kwilla. I suppose you can only go by the recommendation of the suppliers. They should know.

merbu is a must because it has so much tannin.

[scooter]

Same thing as I understand it :confused:

[Gumby]

A search on Google for Kwila (one 'L') brings up a lot and yes, it's also known as merbau, although one site says they are closely related (different latin names).

maybe i have a Kwila deck :D

Have a read of this thread. We went through this a couple of months ago.

merbau deck (http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=36736&highlight=merbau+deck)

[Vernonv]

Hi All,
I was doing some more work on the deck today and I happened to pull out a couple of pieces that show the colour difference between "freshly milled" timber and slightly aged.

These pieces would have only been exposed to the sun for maybe four or five days worth of sunlight in total.

Also this timber is iron bark, but I have also seen a similar thing in the other three species I am using (tallowood, turpentine and yellow stringy).

[jayse]

Cheers Vernon your a legend, its certainly removed the heart from my throat. jayse

[soundman]

Kwila and merbau are very similar some would argue the same tree/s.
In some of the countries of origin they use tha same name for both... hintsy.. ipil.

both have lots of tannins that leach redily, both can vary in colour fresh cut and can have a yellow tinge...maybe a very yello tinge.... get the stuff wet an it changes colour as the tannins leach to the surface and react with light and whatever else.

I have seen kwila that is dark redish brown on one side where it has been exposed and much paler and yellowish on the other where it is fresh.

grab a bit hose it down and leave it in the sun for a week & see what happens.

Keep bare steel away as it will react with the tannins and stain real bad.



cheers