Redwood sealer that highlights color

[Steve Pepin]

My wife has an event rental business (themed events, weddings, etc.). I built a redwood wedding arch, and included threaded inserts to it can all be easily transported, assembled and knocked down afterwards. Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions for a finish that will allow the color to pop, but not create a layer on top of the wood (like varnish). I like the protection that a good marine spar varnish would provide, but since I need to finish all the individual parts separately (as opposed to a fully assembled project), my concern would be that when assembled, tightening the bolts to hold the pieces together might cause a varnish to crack.

What would you use to seal the wood and protect it from the elements, but not get damaged by assembly/disassembly?


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[Mel Fulks]

To be picked for use at a wedding ,I think it's gotta be white.
A lot more color in wedding dresses now days, they won't want to photograph clashing colors

[Steve Pepin]

To be picked for use at a wedding ,I think it's gotta be white.

I'll be making another one with much less expensive wood to be painted white, but this one was specifically made with all heart redwood for the color because we also get requests for rustic decor. One doesn't just paint redwood white.

[Mel Fulks]

One doesn't just paint redwood white.[/QUOTE]

Yep, you gotta prime it first or the red will bleed right through. I used to work for a company that had some old growth
stuff bought many years earlier. It was heavy ! Not light weight like much of today's stuff. There were a lot of houses
around that burned coal. All the redwood was black everywhere exposed. Some of it was 30 inches wide.

[John TenEyck]

Epoxy sealer + Epifanes or other high end (not Helmsman, etc.) marine varnish would be a good choice for the natural redwood one. Even if the varnish chips the epoxy sealer is still there to keep water out.

John

[Joe Wood]

Put the parts out in the sun for half a day, turning them once every hour, that deepens the nice red color, then use Penofin blue label in the cedar color (not western red cedar), the redwood color would make it way too red.

[roger wiegand]

You might look at CWF Clear wood sealer from Flood. I used it on a cedar deck and shake roof and it popped the color back to a beautiful fresh cut cedar color from the gray/black it had turned. That lasted for several years. It also had pretty good water repellency during that time. It soaks in completely, so there is no appearance of a surface film. I know people like Consumer Reports don't think much of it, but I liked what it accomplished.