[sawlog]

hello, first post here
I looking for advise on a clear finish
im making a guy a bumper for his semi out of white oak
he travels year round in all lower 48 states,
that pour bumper is going to get put thru a lot.
does anybody have suggestions on a clear finish that is going to hold up without having to refinish every year or two?
thank you

 

[Bill White 2]

Ain't gonna happen. That would be one tough application, and constant exposure to all the crap from road use will kill any finish over a rather short period.
A spar varnish would be a start, but it would have to be renewed often. Pullin' that bumper for a refinish job would be a chore.
Bill

 

[sawlog]

haha, that's what im worried about. he had a red oak one on there for 6 years. he said he refinished it a few times. looks like crap now, it has a lot of rot in it. the guy that made the first one had the grain goin against each other. the front was flat grain in the horizontal and the ends he had it running vertical. and with the bumper being 16in tall that left huge gaps in the joints.
I made this one with the wood going all horizontal like a table top and left the ends looking like a end grain butcher block.
its 16in tall and 3.5in thick on the ends. looks good but not sure how much abuse it will take with all the different climates it will go thru

 

[Steve Neul]

White oak will hold up much better in the elements then the red oak will. Depending on how much money you are willing to spend you could finish it with a marine grade spar varnish. Lowe's sells a Cabot spar that is marine grade. The best would be Epifanes. It is available at places that sell supplies for boats. It is formulated to use for a deck of a boat. The glossier sheen of any finish will hold up better and it will last longer if it is recoated when you see the sheen starting to look more dull.

 

[sawlog]

ok, thanks for the info

 

[sawlog]

I found a company from washington sate, they have a product called top secret. it a siliconized epoxy for boats. they say you can leave wood under water for 40 years with this stuff. and with everything this bumper is going to go thru, they say they will give it 10 to 20 years before refinishing. just thought id pass it on