Outdoor Finishes

[Jeff]

Just saw this informative article to share with you folks. There's also some good links within.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/pondering-outdoor-finishes/

To finish (and with what) or not to finish? Personal preference? Customer preference? No maintenance or regular maintenance? :dontknow:

 

[mckenziedrums]

There are some rather expensive high end deck finishes that work great... Nearly all of them are oil based. I tried using Emtech 9300 (a polycarbonate urethane type finish) on an outdoor table once and it failed after about a year. Part of that was probably due to poor preparation on my part but I've had MUCH better luck with oil based finishes.

I've got a big green egg smoker and built a table for it a little over a year ago. Using Watco outdoor finish I'd say it would take a new coat every 6-8 months to keep the color in the wood. While the Watco stuff uses teak oil (I think? Correct me if I'm wrong someone) the ultimate in outdoor finishes is generally regarded as Penofin brand hardwood finishes. They use a Rosewood oil so it's not cheap but I've yet to find someone that had a bad experience using their products.

Wood selection plays a big part too... The many woods associated with outdoor furniture tend to be naturally rot and insect resistant before you even add a finish. I used cumaru and ipe for my table and over a year later it still has the color it had when it started. Then again I could stop refreshing the finish and let it go grey and it would hold up for 20 years easily but why do that when it's so beautiful?!

View image in gallery​

 

[merrill77]

While the Watco stuff uses teak oil (I think? Correct me if I'm wrong someone)

I _think_ that Teak Oil is a product name, not an actual substance used in wood finishing products. My memory says that products labeled teak oil are usually an oil/varnish blend using marine-grade varnish. The teak references the fact that teak is used on a large percentage of boats and thus the product name naturally appeals to boat owners. It might have been from Flexners book that I got that?

 

[bluedawg76]

i think teak oil is blo and varnish -not oil of teak. just like danish oil doesn't actually come from denmark.

 

[stave]

Anything that can keep the wood from turning grey in the sun has plenty of UV protection in it so the oil is more of a carrier than the actual finish.

Stave

 

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> i think teak oil is blo and varnish

Products marketed as "Teak Oil" are typically tung oil and varnish mixtures. Some of the real inexpensive "teak oils" are linseed oil and varnish. However, linseed oil is candy for mold and mildew so these products are generally not used for marine exterior application.