oakycoke

Can anyone help, i have made three external oak doors, i want to know what the best product to finish them with would be? I would like to allow the doors to silver over time but help to preserve the wood and not allow the blackening that can occur, they are to be hung on a period property and i do not want a shiny or painted door. Any ideas appreciated.

kreuzie

What species of oak? Red? White?

Will the doors be directly exposed to the weather?

kreuzie

mainzy

You might consider leaving them natural for a year and then finishing after they age slightly.

No matter what finish you use after they will require maintinence every couple of years. There are some U.V. protective finishes. I think the most you can get out of them in optimal conditions is roughly 3 years.

The black you are talking about usually happens with a lot of moisture.
If that is the case they may need yearly maintinence.

God Bless;Mainzy

oakycoke

Thanks for replies, they are european oak (white i think) They will be exposed to the weather. If left for a few years and then finished, with what? does oak have natural oils that will help to preserve and protect the wood? similar to that of cedar?

the miz

Simply, No. Oak like most woods contains "tannins" or acids that react to other chemicals like water, ammonia, etc. If you want a weathered look you will need to apply it. There are several ways to achieve that look with out letting the wood be exposed to the elements too long. Like all woods, they expand and contract with temperature change and and if they get too dry they can check and split along the grain. You want to seal it with either a marine varnish or polyurethane after you stain to the desired look. There are also some very tough and long lasting catalyzed finishes that weather very nice. I used Sikkens deck stain on a mahogany picnic table and it was outside for more than a year in Ohio and it still looks it did when I made it. You can get that at a paint store Like CPI os SherWill.

the miz

Try this finish for a weathered look.... soak some old steel or iron parts in a solution of vinegar and water (about 80-90% water) and it will produce an ebony-like stain that when you wash the wood with it it reacts to the tannins and give it an aged look. Let it dry completely before you apply the topcoat of whatever you are using. I have done a few pieces like this and even matched them to existing shutters that were weathered for about 12yrs. FYI, if they don't turn grey or even black then it is probably not oak but ash, which lacks the tannins that oak has.

Rick Mosher

I don't know what part of the country you are in but if we are talking about snow or direct sun you doors won't last very long without a finish of some kind. The mizs' suggestion will work for your silver color or you can just buy a pound of ferrous sulfate if you don't want to wait. I don't know how much maintenance you would care to do so here are 2 ideas. The easy way is to just buy clear Sikkens Cetol 1 and brush it on over your silver color. The good thing about the Sikkens is you will never have to sand it down, just put on a fresh coat as needed. (If you would like more sheen and more protection add 2 coats of Cetol23)
The other option is labor intensive and must be re-done every year. Take a quart of turpentine and dissolve some parrafin wax into it. Mix with a quart of boiled linseed oil and for the first coat wet sand with 400 grit wet or dry paper into the oak (like watco oil) let dry overnight and then wipe on and off another coat (you can wet sand again if you are a real glutton for punishment) The down side of this finish is it MUST be redone every year. (Just wipe on and wipe off) The good thing is your door will feel like glass and have that aged look you want... (I would also coat the bottom edge of the door with a liberal coat of West System epoxy to keep standing snow from getting into the end grain.)