how do you prep wood to last outside?

[curtis rosche]

so, one of the things that the lady whogave me the big tree wanted to do, was to take a peice or 2 of the burl, and turn the outside and finish it so that she can keep it and put it in her flowerbed. what finish or product would need to be used to keep it from rotting and weathering awya to nothing?

[Reed Gray]

Eventually it will rot away. A lot depends on what type of wood you have. If you want to go wild, there are places where you can send wood away to that will polymer impregnate the wood. Fairly expensive. Marine Spar varnishes will help as they have ultraviolet screening properties in them. They are rather thick, and glossy looking. There are also a number of deck finishes that will work as well. They should probably be redone every year. Keeping the wood off the ground is good as well, helps keep the bugs out of the wood.

robo hippy

[curtis rosche]

what about a thick layer of epoxy

[Dan Forman]

Curtis---Upstairs to the general woodworking (flatland) forum, a while ago there was a thread about durable outdoor finishes. It seems most are not very durable after all. There is, however, a two part epoxy like marine finish which outperformed all of the others, that would be a good candidate. I can't remember the name of the product, but a search should reveal it. I think this was in one of the woodworking magazines recently.

Dan

[curtis rosche]

so what it might come down to is that i then get paid every year to refinish the same peice?

[ROY DICK]

Curtis,
Whatever you find out, be up front with the lady that let you score the tree. Give her the options. Be it refinish every year or what.
Roy

[Lance kanaby]

Actually WaterLox works fairly well to the elements. You will need many coats to start off with and then reapply when needed.

[Walt Caza]

so what it might come down to is that i then get paid every year to refinish the same peice?

umm... errr...
sorry Curtis,
But...
you have already been paid!
hehe
Walt

[curtis rosche]

the payment would be a piecs of pie and some stories, or some cookies. she had a ton of stories when i was there

[Ryan Baker]

An epoxy, like the West system stuff, works well for wooden boats. That ought to be good enough for a garden (at least for a while). Go ask in the boat building forum, since they probably know better. But pretty much anything is going to need attention from time to time.

[Cody Colston]

The finish mentioned is an epoxy base with Epifanes marine spar varnish over it...7 coats of varnish. I believe it was FWW that had an article on it recently.

The epoxy by itself has no UV protection and will deteriorate pretty rapidly without the varnish. The epoxy is to make it waterproof and the varnish for UV protection.

The Epifanes varnish is rather pricey, as is a good epoxy, like West System. But, short of painting, that's the best outdoor protection you will get. When the varnish starts looking chalky, it's time to sand and apply an additional coat or two...likely every 2 or 3 years, depending on the location. Sunlight is actually the biggest culprit for deteriorating clear finishes.

[curtis rosche]

i already have 2 part epoxy for something else. what about puting on a latyer of epoxy, then a layer of the uv proof rattlecan clearcoat. then another layer of epoxy and another clear coat?

[Cody Colston]

I just referenced the article in FWW.com and of the finishes tested, the Epifanes varnish held up equally as well as the epoxy + Epifanes. Since the epoxy sealer is $42 per qt. and the Epifanes is $45 per qt., it makes sense to go with just the Epifanes since it performed as well by itself, it's one product instead of two and about half the cost of using two products.

When applied by itself, Epifanes recommends 7 coats as follows:

1 thinned 50%
1 thinned 25%
1 thinned 15%
4 unthinned

Since you must wait 24 hours between coats, it takes about a week to apply this finish.

I wouldn't count on a cheaper varnish lasting very long, either. A few years back, I bought a gallon of Pettit Captains Varnish and used it on some Cedar patio furniture. Within a year, it had deteriorated to the point that it coud not be renewed without sanding to bare wood first. The Captain's varnish isn't cheap and is touted aas being very good but still, did not hold up long. I will admit that I didn't apply 7 coats, though. Probably more like three.

The Epifanes at $45 per quart is very pricey but by all accounts is the ultimate in outdoor clear finishes. I recently used it on some more Cedar patio furniture and am hopeful that it will last at least three years before requiring maintenance. I've attached a pic of an Adirondack chair I finished with Epifanes Varnish.

For a comparison, Itook a 1 x 6 Cedar board about 18" long and coated 1/2 with Epifanes and 1/2 with Minwax Spar Varnish...both finishes were applied following the 7 coat Epifanes recommendation. Check back with me next August for the year one comparison results. :D

[Steve Kubien]

Question:
what finish or product would need to be used to keep it from rotting and weathering awya to nothing?

Answer: A house.

[Jeff Nicol]

Curtis, Ask her exactly what she intends for it to be used for. If it is to look as though it came from nature and fits in with the surroundings, then some good old linseed oil applied now and again will slow the rot down. If it is to be glossy and pretty then it will always need some attention to stay that way. If the last is what is required a little stand that keeps it off the soil and maybe a little gazebo to keep the direct sun and rain off it would be a good thing. So turn something that fits with her garden and maybe it would have to be painted and maintained like a small totem pole or a bird bath with a stone or copper tube stand. The ideas are endless, so get her total input and see just what she wants it to do.


Jeff

[Richard Madison]

Good advice from Jeff. Protection from rain and direct sunlight will make a great difference. This from personal experience with a small sign making business many years ago. Signs with protection (hung back under the eave of a building) held up years longer than exposed signs.