Refinishing a Commercial Ipe Wood Sign in Los Angeles
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Hey everyone, Tim Gilliam with Teak Master here, and we’re in sunny Pasadena, California. We thought it was a good idea to make a short video here on a custom sign that’s made of Ipe. As you can see, it’s weathered a little bit. We came out almost three years ago now, and it’s weathered pretty well, but it’s still a bit unsightly.
Okay, so we are sanding now, and we did not need to clean it because it’s not dirty—it’s just weathered a little bit. It’s weathered pretty well because it’s a vertical surface, so it doesn’t store any of the contaminants like a deck would. We’re doing a light, finished sand to knock off the microscopic oxidized wood, and it’s just a fine, finished sand.
Okay guys, so we made a little boo-boo—we didn’t have any footage of the blowing off of the wood after we sanded or any brightening, but you can take a look at our other Ipe deck videos and you’ll see our brightening technique. We wiped on the brightener, neutralized it, and wiped it off with some water. Now it’s time for the finish.
We’re using a penetrating oil-based finish. The oil-based finishes are the best because they look natural, they’re maintainable moving forward, and it just takes time. Everything’s hand-brushed—we work everything into the wood as best as we possibly can and in between the slats. After we apply the finish, we let it penetrate for a certain period of time, and the time period will vary depending on the temperature outside. We like to let it sit for, let’s say, five to fifteen minutes so it’ll really penetrate in, and then we buff out the excess. If you don’t buff out the excess, it’ll be sticky and blotchy and uneven.
Just keep in mind the wood can only accept so much of the finish. Again, we’re just wiping off the excess—anything that’s pooled underneath on the bottom of any of the slats—and making sure that any excess is taken away and wiped off efficiently.
Now take a look at the results. Got the before—and voila, you have the after. This is going to need maintenance, and ultimately maintenance should be performed annually because this receives a massive amount of sun. We should come back in a year, clean it, and then simply reapply the coating. The coating is meant to gradually fade and dissipate over time.
Thank you guys so much for tuning in. If you like what you saw, go ahead and click that like button and follow us because we’re coming out with more videos just like this. If you have any comments, leave them in the comments below—we’ll be sure to answer as soon as we possibly can. Take a look at our website, teakmaster.com, for more information. Thank you guys so much for tuning in, we really appreciate you. Tim Gilliam with Teak Master, signing out.