Best finishing product for outdoor bamboo decking???

[Bradley Schmidt]

I have installed a bamboo deck made from a specially manufactured strand woven bamboo outdoor plank.

I have applied Loba Decking oil to the planks, but find that, due to the very high density of the planks, that the oil does not penetrate well.

The technical characteristics of the bamboo decking planks are similar to Ipe, barring the natural oils in Ipe. The Bamboo decking planks have a Canadian oil infused during the manufacturing process.

Anybody have any advise on options?

Thanks

[Scott Holmes]

I suggest you ask the manufacturer what is recommended.

[Howard Acheson]

Scott has the right answer. Contact the manufacturer. Bamboo is not wood, it's a grass. Its ability to accept finishing materials is quite different from wood.

[Bradley Schmidt]

Some feedback on my experiences.

Oils just don't penetrate the bamboo enough, so if one uses oil based products for bamboo decking (http://www.oriental-bamboo.co.za/products/eco-logic-bamboo-flooring.html) (manufactured from strand woven bamboo), the deck will be a high maintenance deck.

What works the best are varnishes specifically designed for dense woods. I did some tests with the following products and have had good results:

* Alcolin Exterior Factor 30 (http://www.alcolin.com/industrial-products/woodworking) – exterior waterproof wood sealer
* Timberlife Satinwood 28 Base (http://www.timberlife.co.za/diy/satinwood.htm) – hardwood with low porosity
* FloodSA Spa-N-Deck (http://www.floodaustralia.net/products/wood_care/spa_n_deck.php) + Powerlift stripper (http://www.floodaustralia.net/products/wood_care/powerlift.php)

[Chris Fournier]

While not an engineered bamboo, cane fly rods have been around for close to a century and the finish of choice has historically been varnish. Some guys use tung oil but varnish seems to be the first choice.

I'll bet that your decking will wear like iron!

[Steve Schoene]

I'd call those cane fly rods highly engineered bamboo. Evereret Garrison worked out his tapers with calculations based on the modulous of elasticity of the bamboo.

[Chris Fournier]

I'd say that Garrison engineered flyrods which were simply machined out of bamboo. The decking referred to in this thread is reconsitutued and woven bamboo - thus "engineered" much like the hardwood floorings that are referred to as engineered wood because the wood has been messed with by man to change its properties (sort of).

By "simply machined out of bamboo" I mean very carefully with great attention to detail! Garrison was a real cane flyrod building pioneer and he did apply scientific rigour to designing and building cane rods in a time when the taper recipies were pretty much the product of trial and error and much secrecy. I've read the Carmichael book based on Garrison's work more times than I can count, it's a great read.

[Steve Schoene]

I was thinking of the lamination of bamboo fibers with a resin type glue (resorcinol, for example) in the fly rod. The bamboo strands in the decking appear to be broken down further before they are laminated with resin. The decking sounds more like it is the resin that provides the physical properties, rather like glass in fiberglas, which is really better named by the Brits who call it GRP for glass reinforced plastic. I do think the O.P. should consult the manufacture about finish. I do see one manufacturer's reference to "specialized Canadian Oil" Since I doubt any Canadians were squeezed for oil I have not a clue what such a product would be--it's not a typical finishing product. Possibly some sort of pine resin, though how that is a high tech exterior protectant is beyond me. Sounds like marketing.

I agree with you on the Carmichael book.

[Chris Fournier]

I was thinking of the lamination of bamboo fibers with a resin type glue (resorcinol, for example) in the fly rod. The bamboo strands in the decking appear to be broken down further before they are laminated with resin. The decking sounds more like it is the resin that provides the physical properties, rather like glass in fiberglas, which is really better named by the Brits who call it GRP for glass reinforced plastic. I do think the O.P. should consult the manufacture about finish. I do see one manufacturer's reference to "specialized Canadian Oil" Since I doubt any Canadians were squeezed for oil I have not a clue what such a product would be--it's not a typical finishing product. Possibly some sort of pine resin, though how that is a high tech exterior protectant is beyond me. Sounds like marketing.

I agree with you on the Carmichael book.

I don't think that you'd get one drop of oil out of any Canadian, no matter how hard you squeezed us. The government has pretty much beaten you to it... We be squeezed dry!