Walnut outdoor gate: BLO vs. Epifanes varnish

[Tom Hoffman]

I just built an outdoor Walnut Gate. I was planning on BLO then Epifanes marine varnish. I'm beginning to have second thoughts about the varnish, which eventually will crack and peel. What do you think about just leaving it with a BLO finish? Adding more BLO over the years would be much easier than adding more Epifanes. I would be satisfied with the dull look of BLO vs. a more elegant look of the Epifanes. How do you think the walnut would hold up with just BLO? I live near Sacramento, CA in which summer means > 100 degrees and long periods of no rain. Winter is the rainy season with lows in the high 20's.

[Jim Becker]

BLO will offer you zero protection from anything...water, UV, whatever. If you want a penetrating finish, there are outdoor products that are specific to this purpose from folks like Sikkens and Pentofin. Do note that walnut is not a good species for outdoor use and is not very durable over time in that environment.

[Jamie Buxton]

Just linseed oil offers very little protection from water -- almost none. Use a good outdoor finish like Epifanes. No matter what you use, be prepared to need to refinish it much sooner than indoor furniture needs. Sunlight and rain are very hard on finishes.

There was an article in Fine Woodworking within the last year that strongly endorsed Epifanes, but observed that their recommended application (which the author followed) was laborious -- six or seven coats or the like.

[Steve Schoene]

I think you'll find walnut heartwood, (not sapwood) is a durable outdoor wood, on a par with white oak as I recall.

[Tom Hoffman]

Thanks for the comments. I would have thought that since BLO is oil based that it would repel water. Sikkens & Pentofil sounds interesting. I think I'll investigate that. Just not sure I want to commit to a film forming finish like varnish.

[Jim Becker]

BLO is just oil that's has some dryer's added so it will "cure"/dry...it's not "oil based" in the sense of a varnish product. It offers no durability and almost no protection against moisture and water. It doesn't repel water in any meaningful way. I use it a lot for visual reasons, but as a first step.

[steven sherman]

Tom:

I have used sikkens cetol 1 23 on my front door and garage door. Both face west without any protection. The sikkens was easy to re finish and held up very well . It has been 5 years and I refinish every 2-3 yrs. I also dont think the epifanes will flow over BLO. I called Epifanes and they told me it had to be applied over raw wood.

Steve

[Tom Hoffman]

Thanks again for taking the time to comment. I ended up putting Penofin "Hardwood Formula" on. It darkened the wood just like BLO/varnish. Was easy to wipe on with a rag. Time will tell how it weathers.

[David Woodruff]

Hello Tom, Couple of things. BLO is not a sealant, primer, or protectant, it eventually dries and then begins to darken. Outside heavy applications will blacken. Second, walnut heartwood is very weather resistant, sapwood will decay. A gate made from walnut will likely outlast you. In a year or so the walnut surface will weather to gray. I am not aware of any finish that will preserve the walnut color. Even marine mahagony or teak weathers to a surface gray. The boat people may know of something that will keep the surface color a while longer. Good Luck

[Tom Hoffman]

Here is the walnut gate finished and installed. I ended up using Penofin. Two coats; couldn't be any easier to apply; flood on, after 15 minutes, rag off excess. I am very pleased with the outcome. We'll see how it holds up after the winter rains (Sacramento). The two posts on either side of the gate are made of redwood except for the top caps which are solid walnut. I used Olympic outdoor wood stain on the redwood to match the color of the gate. The remaining fence is redwood with Olympic outdoor semi-tranparent stain applied a year ago. The hinges are spring loaded which keeps the gate shut without a latch.

[Jim Becker]

Looks really nice, Tom!