Mahogany bench finish choice

So I’m a little green when it comes to finishing outside of stain and poly, or painting.

Recently I made a bench out of reclaimed mahogany decking and need to apply some type of finish. It’s gonna be under shelter but outdoors in a beach house/salt-air environment.


I’d really like to highlight the beauty of the wood that was underneath after milling, etc. But keep in mind the future owner most likely won’t be keeping up reapplying whatever I choose in the subsequent years. Would something like tung oil be a good choice for a first timer? Go with something simpler like a spar urethane? All opinions welcome.

Bench tax:
https://imgur.com/a/BZ2OUbA/

Thanks,

As a point of reference...I have a couple of pieces on our covered patio that are mahogany and teak. I used teak oil. Even though they are not in direct exposure, they do need re-coating every year or two. I might try a spar urethane next time. I'm not sure, but I don't think tung oil would be a good choice.

ken, take a look at this recent still fresh thread https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....-clear-finnish


no finish will last for long. Real tung oil (not everything labeled tung oil, is) won't provide much protection. Real spar varnish is good, but is made to be reapplied regularly.

Find the location of a boat shop and find out what they use for wooden boats. If you see the finish on some of the wooden boats with wood decks and trim parts, you will want to know what they use. I also read one of Bob Flexners' articles that suggested the same for outdoor finishes.
The spar varnish they sell in the local big box stores is junk according to Bob.

Yes. Use Marine (Spar) Varnish. Last I bought some it was pricey, upwards of $35 per quart. But my buddy uses it on his wooden boat and gets a lot of mileage out of it.

You can add oil color to it if you want more colors. Google Sheffield Pure Oil Colors. On mahogany, I mix a little red and a little black, test it on scrap and then adjust to suit my eye. I am told you can also use oil paints you buy at an artist store, but have not tried it myself.

Fred

Fred

I agree with Fred. True marine spar varnishes do NOT not contain urethane (except for 2- part pure polyurethane finishes--good but very pricey and requiring really picky application). You will only fine the good stuff at marine supply stores, not in regular paint stores and particularly not in big box stores. Good brands include Epifanes, Interlux, and Pettitt. Follow label directions.

Thanks everyone for the responses. Looking into marine varnishes now.

I've made this suggestion a few times recently on this forum, but I'll raise it again. For outdoor furniture, we highly recommend using a Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) as a base coat underneath whatever top finish you apply. CPES is designed to be very thin to penetrate into the wood and seal it against moisture. I like finishing outdoor furniture with two coats of CPES (liberally thinned with ethanol), followed by two or three coats of spar varnish. Sand after the first application of CPES and apply the first coat of varnish within 24 hours of the second coat of CPES. This bonds the varnish to the epoxy.