Garden bench after one winter! Any tips?

[Brett2021]

I built these garden benches and table last summer, this winter I left it outside as used treated wood and varnished using yacht varnish. But I can 20% varnish is peeled off..

Not sure what I need to do now avoid this next summer..? Thanks

 

[JohnD]

Yacht varnish is not durable when exposed to the weather. You can rub it down and recoat every year if you want, but I prefer a oil finish such as Tung or Teak on hardwood. I use boiled linseed oil which smells pleasantly of cricket bats. Wipe off any excess that does not soak in within 10 minutes and let it fully oxidise and harden before sitting on it. You need several coats.

If you need to correct the colour, sand back and use a spirit-based wood dye (not a stain) first.

Danish oil is just vegetable oil with white spirit added to thin it.