How to clear seal a board that will later be painted on, decoratively, by kids

[Matt Clara]

Added to that, it's going to be a "spirit stick" used by a swim team, so it will be poolside with them and be handled by people with wet hands. They will be painting on it throughout the swim year. I'm just cutting it into a mermaid shape, roughly 3.5 ft long by 9 in wide. Was thinking white oak, quarter sawn if I can find it for not too much. But what to seal it with so it fairs well poolside, but is still receptive to who knows what kind of paint the kids will be using? My first thought was shellac, primarily because just about anything will stick to it, though it's not the best with water, but does provide some protection. Wanted some real finishers' opinions before I went ahead with that!

Thanks.

[Andy Giddings]

Added to that, it's going to be a "spirit stick" used by a swim team, so it will be poolside with them and be handled by people with wet hands. They will be painting on it throughout the swim year. I'm just cutting it into a mermaid shape, roughly 3.5 ft long by 9 in wide. Was thinking white oak, quarter sawn if I can find it for not too much. But what to seal it with so it fairs well poolside, but is still receptive to who knows what kind of paint the kids will be using? My first thought was shellac, primarily because just about anything will stick to it, though it's not the best with water, but does provide some protection. Wanted some real finishers' opinions before I went ahead with that!

Thanks.

If you need a clear finish that can be painted, but offers water protection, I would think any matt finish such as a water based poly would work. A flat or matt finish will give the paint some chance to key to the surface or you could use something with a higher sheen and knock it down with some fine sandpaper to achieve the effect. Quarter sawn white oak seems an expensive choice for something like this but to each their own

[John TenEyck]

I'm thinking maybe vinyl sealer.

John

[Andy Giddings]

I'm thinking maybe vinyl sealer.

John
I thought about paint - but I wouldn't do that to quarter sawn white oak! :-)

[Matt Clara]

There's a place near me where you can often find short off-cut boards. I expect to be able to pick up a short board of white oak for less than $20. That's not too much for a simple project, is it? And quarter sawn white oak is very stable, which eliminates a lot of the poolside concerns. I'd love to hear some suggestions.

[John TenEyck]

It won't matter what wood you use if it's sealed. But if you want to nitpick, WO isn't all that stable compared to other woods; that's why it is often QS. If you want something really stable and water resistant, mahogany or redwood would be better choices.

John

[Matt Clara]

It won't matter what wood you use if it's sealed. But if you want to nitpick, WO isn't all that stable compared to other woods; that's why it is often QS. If you want something really stable and water resistant, mahogany or redwood would be better choices.

John

I guess I wasn't ready to trust the finish to really seal it, but honestly I don't have a ton of experience with finishes, except perhaps nitrocellulose lacquer, which I spray and polish to high gloss on the ukes I build. And I'd actually considered mahogany, but that really is too nice. Redwood isn't readily available in Michigan. Cedar is, but it isn't that wide and I'd fear it would get beat up over the course of the year. That's another reason I was leaning towards a hardwood. I'm thinking now I might just want to try poplar and call it good! And maybe paint isn't a bad idea then. I'll have to talk to the coach who asked if I could help, see what he and the kids think. Thing is, I need to knock this out this weekend!

[Andy Giddings]

Matt, I thought that you needed the piece to have a furniture like appearance (as per the white oak). If it really can work with a painted finish, I would just use a piece of paint grade Maple or something similar that will take some knocks without getting dented. Poplar for me is too easily marked up for something that is going to see rough handling.

[Matt Clara]

I've seen only one example of past spirit sticks, and it was unfinished wood with some wood burning done to it, so I was going with the wood look, too. I bet the kids don't care, although a nice wood finish could give it an "official" feeling. I'll see what the coach says. Thanks for your help. Soft maple is abundant here, that's for sure.

[Stan Calow]

Why not something made for outdoor wood protection - deck/fence sealer, like Thompson's, Olympic or Cabot's? None of the indoor finishes will give much water protection.

[Matt Clara]

366896 Ended up using poplar, only because the only correctly sized piece of soft maple was nearly 3 inches thick, and I can't resaw anything wider than six inches. Gave it five coats of spray can semi-glossy poly--would have done more if I'd had time. Used that particular poly, because that's what was on the shelf! The girls love it. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.