Redwood park sign finish

[Jason Fastenau]

I'm working on refurbishing an outdoor redwood park sign in central Alaska. The sign will be exposed to a range of 90 above and constant sun in the summer to 70+ below in the winter.

I'm going to paint part of it with a good exterior paint, and hit the rest with a sanding sealer. What I need is suggestions for a good top coat for it that can survive the thermal movement of the wood, and which offers excellent UV protection for the constant sun in the summer.

I was thinking about an automotive clearcoat. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Ben Davis]

I think the automotive clearcoat will crack with that much wood movement!

How about Silkens?

[Al Wasser]

We used redwood signs when I worked for the Forest Service. The bears love them and will destroy them quickly. A switch to oak solved the problem. In most cases you want the sign to weather but keep the lettering visible/readable.

[Gary Max]

What Al said then soak with a good Danish oil------bugs and animals don't like the oil and it will take the temps you are talking about.

[Scott Holmes]

When you switch to oak, make sure it's WHITE OAK. Red oak doesn't do well outside white oak is excellent outside.

[Mike Davis NC]

I have used DuPont automotive acrylic paint on wood and also on cloth awnings. It works great and will last at least twenty years. That's how long the ones I did have been in the Alabama sun. I moved on to Georgia and haven't used the latest formulations. Hopefully today's paints are better than the stuff I used back then.

[Jason Fastenau]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Replacing it with oak isn't an option. It's an old sign that's being restored. With the nice light redwood the thing weighs a good 150 pounds. I can't imagine trying to hang that much oak up. The good news is that it is in the center of town, so no bear worries.

The silkens is an interesting idea. I have some permachink stain and top-seal ready for my new garage, which looks like the same general product line as the silkens. I wonder how that stuff would act over paint. No cracking for sure... nice satin finish.

[Quinn McCarthy]

Sikkens Cetol and penofin oil great outdoor finishes. We don't get -70 here but we get -50 a few times a year. Neith one is cheap but you get what you pay for. They both hold up great. Somewhere I read or heard never use automotive finish on wood. Not it doesn't move as much as you need for wood.

I am not saying that is true but it might be something to look into.

HTH

Quinn