Paint or tung oil to waterproof wicker

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How to make wicker waterproof

Keep wicker out of rain or sprinklers

Reply: Hi Jim There isn't any real total waterproofing method. If the wicker isn't in the direct line of water sources, such as rain or sprinklers you can get it so that it's pretty safe.

Use paint or tung oil to waterproof

If the wicker furniture is painted that should take care of things to waterproof, as long as it's painted underneath too, so there isn't any exposed raw wicker at all.

If the wicker furniture is natural then you can coat it with several applications of tung oil. You'll need to coat the underneath and everywhere and should apply a couple of fresh coats every few months.

Use spray cans to coat any raw wicker

If the wicker on the underneath side of the bottom isn't painted it's easy to use spray cans of paint to coat the raw wicker. If you can't find a matching color you can use a clear spray underneath. Tung oil can be used on the raw wicker part of painted wicker too.

Use a garden sprayer to apply tung oil

You can apply tung oil with a paint brush dabbing carefully between the reed weaving to be sure to get it all covered. An easier method is to use a spray bottle, one of the type that you can pump up pressure then depress a trigger to squirt or one with a squeeze trigger and nozzle that will adjust to stream and spray rather than the type that mists by pushing on the top. The pressure and trigger type are generally found in a garden department or in gardening stores.

I used one of the pressure type to spray stain on our split rail patio fence, which was in dire need and I'd put off for a couple of years. Here's what the spray bottle looks like and a before picture section of the fence I sprayed with it. It took two or three hours to stain about 50 feet of fence, so they work pretty effectively and they're only around $5.00 so you can throw it away when you're through with it.

Tung oil

You can get tung oil at clear finishes. The Rockler's Tung Oil is 100% tung oil and too thick to spray, but the Chinawood Deck Oil farther down the page is 100% tung oil thinned with some people friendly solvents and should spray ok.

You can read more about tung oil finishes at tung oil finish.

Use good ventilation

You should spray outdoors or with good ventilation and be sure to cover anything that you don't want to get oversprayed.

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