Final Finish for Exterior Oak Mailbox.

[DTBoss]

Hi all,

I should've posted finishing questions her eons ago, but here's one. I've got an oak mailbox that will live on a covered porch. Right now it's got three applications of a mix of equal parts Boiled linseed Oil and Wipe-On Poly. It looks decent, but only shows its quartersawn flecks at just the right angle. I'm also thinking I should've done more to protect it from UV light.

Any suggestions for a topcoat that might help bring out the figure a bit more AND UV protect w/o making things look overly shiny?

Many thanks.

Dan

 

[chris_goris]

Thats a thing of beauty Dan! Nice work! However, if youve already oiled it.... youre not gonna get anymore figure from it. I think if you had ammonia fumed it, you mightve gotten more initially, Im sure there are others more familiar with that process than I. I also think the ship has sailed for UV protection too, I probably wouldve used SIKKENS cetol. Since its on a covered porch, itll probably look great for many years as is though.

 

[DTBoss]

Thanks for your reply Chris. Turns out I DID ammonia fume it! I should've mentioned that originally. I've done it a couple times on projects and for whatever reason, I'm not getting the 'pop' that I expect. Things just darken across the board. Still looks nice, though.

In any case, everything looks terrific when wet with oil/poly, but naturally dulls a bit when things dry. I could make the final topcoat just the wipe-on poly perhaps and see if it gives the figure a bit more staying power. Thanks for the Sikkens cetol recommendation. I'll look into it.
D