Outdoor furniture finish question - Woodworking Talk

Ash · 06-24-2009, 09:33 PM

Hi guys,
I am quite new to this hobby. I finished a part of my first major project - a table for an Adirondack patio set. Since I wasnt very sure of my abilities, unfortunately I used cheap lumber grade pine. Well the table came out pretty neat inspite of all the knots and imperfections or maybe because of it. But now I am thinking about what my finishing options are? I will be happy with the current look or a darker stain. I am open to oil/water based products. Just want it to survive the rain etc when I put it in the patio. I would also appreciate any advise about the kind of wood to opt for when I start building the chairs this weekend.
Thanks folks!

maplehillfrm · 08-01-2009, 10:06 AM

hey neighbor

,,norwich ny here,,

I am surprised nobody answered, I was hoping that they would as I was wondering the same thing, I just built a nice smaller outdoor table out of mostly oak and some maple and was looking to what kind of finish to apply,

I think if I remember correctly it is supposedt o be spar varnish, at least that is what I thnk I am going to use, if memory serves me thats what the use on marine applications,,

especially with all the rainwe have been getting as of late man o man

,,good luck, pat

jerry · 08-01-2009, 10:49 AM

Pine is one of the worst woods to use outside and it is difficult to stain. Spar varnish is a long oil varnish that is quite soft and flexible and like most finishes used outdoors needs a lot of maintenance. I hope the oak was white not red. In my opinion the finish that takes the least maintenance is paint.

Jerry

Ash · 08-02-2009, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maplehillfrm

hey neighbor

,,norwich ny here,,

I am surprised nobody answered, I was hoping that they would as I was wondering the same thing, I just built a nice smaller outdoor table out of mostly oak and some maple and was looking to what kind of finish to apply,

I think if I remember correctly it is supposedt o be spar varnish, at least that is what I thnk I am going to use, if memory serves me thats what the use on marine applications,,

especially with all the rainwe have been getting as of late man o man

,,good luck, pat

Thanks much, Pat, for taking the time to reply. I have since put the spar varnish on it - 2/3 coats and it looks great. It has been sitting out in the sun/rain for the last many weeks and no issues. I did however dip the feet in varnish, so the end grain would soak up as much oil as possible.
I made it in pine because this was my first major project and I did not want to waste good hardwood. It actually came out very nice and I have gotten lots of compliments on it.
I hope we get a few more weeks of summer ....