Finishing Cypress

[Randy Blackstock]

Is there any finish that would create a harden shell to protect the surface of cypress from denting?

[Jim Sevey]

I'll give this a shot. I've worked a lot of cypress over the years- love it- especially quarter sawn. I've used numerous types of finishes and I've come to the conclusion that cypress is soft as compared to most woods and no finish can make it much tougher. I got to the point that I just don't use cypress for projects that have large surfaces that I would consider to be "furniture ". I use cypress for outdoor furniture, small projects, or anything that is expected to take and show some abuse. If you figure out a highly protective finish I'm interested in it too.

[Jay Gargiulo]

I have used a two part epoxy like RAKA UV Inhibited (followed by a couple coats of marine varnish) over many cypress projects and find that it does help with resisting dents somewhat. However, the finish is really just a crust over the surface and how well the wood resists dings and dents is directly related to how hard it is.