Wood and finish for outdoor bench

[mark mcfarlane]

I am rebuilding a cast iron/wood garden bench probably out of some spare QSWO stock. The QSWO is a tad expensive for this project but its a 3 hour round trip to the hardwood store.

Still, I may need to travel 2 hours to get a suitable finish so maybe I should get a cheaper wood,...

1) What would you use for the finish on such an exterior project, exposed to the elements including an irrigation system?

I have a third of a quart of 2.5 year old GF 450 satin that might get me 2 coats, but nothing else really suitable for outdoor use. Whatever I'm using will need annual maintenance, so I'm thinking a penetrating oil might be better than the 450 film finish.

2) Any other woods to recommend that are less expensive than white oak?

If I drive 2 hours to Woodcraft to get some finish I could continue on to the hardwood store.

Cheers,

Mark

[Josko Catipovic]

Varnish is hard to beat for outdoor use if you're willing to refinish every couple years. For a lower-maintenance outdoor finish, check out Sikkens Cetol. It's not as beautiful as full-body varnish, but seems to last a decade+ without touch-up.

[mark mcfarlane]

Varnish is hard to beat for outdoor use if you're willing to refinish every couple years. For a lower-maintenance outdoor finish, check out Sikkens Cetol. It's not as beautiful as full-body varnish, but seems to last a decade+ without touch-up.

Thanks Jasko for the ideas. I do have a GF varnish-like finish in the shop but it states interior use only.

[Lee Schierer]

I would use Western Red cedar and wouldn't apply any finish. Any film type finish you apply will fail.

[John TenEyck]

Doesn't matter what wood you use maintenance will be required, regularly, with two exceptions. 1) No finish, just let it age. In that case the wood matters a lot to avoid rot. WO, cedar, black locust, all are very rot resistant, but will go gray and may still mold. 2) Fiinish it with whatever you like, but keep it covered except when you use it.

I built a beautiful bench out of black locust and finished it with Epifanes Marine Varnish, one of the best there is. Looked great for 2 years, and then needed maintanence. Another year, more maintenance. The third time I redid it I bought a cover to put over it. I have done no maintanence now for 4 years and it looks great.

I would not use GF-450 for anything with horizontal orientation; it's just not that durable.

John

[Jamie Buxton]

In addition to John's list, you should be able to get cypress, which has good reputation as an outdoor wood. The native range of bald cypress includes Houston.

[lowell holmes]

Check this site.

https://www.houstonhardwoods.com/

[mark mcfarlane]

Check this site.

https://www.houstonhardwoods.com/

Thanks Lowell. I use that place frequently, either Houston Hardwood or Clark's for me. Clark's is a bit closer, has better stock, and I find is about 25% more expensive.

[mark mcfarlane]

In addition to John's list, you should be able to get cypress, which has good reputation as an outdoor wood. The native range of bald cypress includes Houston.

Thanks Jamie. The local prices for Cypress seem to be the same as FS white oak.

[mark mcfarlane]

Doesn't matter what wood you use maintenance will be required, regularly, with two exceptions. 1) No finish, just let it age. In that case the wood matters a lot to avoid rot. WO, cedar, black locust, all are very rot resistant, but will go gray and may still mold. 2) Fiinish it with whatever you like, but keep it covered except when you use it.

I built a beautiful bench out of black locust and finished it with Epifanes Marine Varnish, one of the best there is. Looked great for 2 years, and then needed maintanence. Another year, more maintenance. The third time I redid it I bought a cover to put over it. I have done no maintanence now for 4 years and it looks great.

I would not use GF-450 for anything with horizontal orientation; it's just not that durable.

John

Thanks John. My first project with GF 450 also didn't fare as well as I hoped on the horizontal surfaces. Texas sun is persistent.

I'm not seeing any black locust locally. Clarks Hardwood seems to stock Western Red Cedar so that is an option. It is closer to me than Houston Hardwoods (which in my experience has better prices) but Clark's always has a great deal of stock and exceptional boards.

[mark mcfarlane]

...

I built a beautiful bench out of black locust and finished it with Epifanes Marine Varnish, one of the best there is. Looked great for 2 years, and then needed maintanence. ...

FWIW, System Three has a marine spar varnish available at Woodcraft for $45 / qt. Has anyone tried this?

I know covering is a great idea, but this bench will basically be art in my golf course/pond back yard and I don't see myself covering it and using it. If the spar varnish can be scuff sanded and wiped/brushed over once a year I would be happy. Gotta be easier than maintaining my two cedar bridges.

[Stan Calow]

Mark, what wood is commonly used for decks in your area? That should be the cheapest durable wood available to you.

[Jim Becker]

IPE is a good choice, but so is the white oak. Teak is also traditional for this kind of thing.

As to finish...if you put a film finish on the piece, you're going to be stripping it and refinishing with some relative frequency...it's far easier to use a penetrating oil product that's easy to reapply. The wood is going to grey as all wood does in weather and sun.

[mark mcfarlane]

IPE is a good choice, but so is the white oak. Teak is also traditional for this kind of thing.

As to finish...if you put a film finish on the piece, you're going to be stripping it and refinishing with some relative frequency...it's far easier to use a penetrating oil product that's easy to reapply. The wood is going to grey as all wood does in weather and sun.

Thanks Jim. Teak around here is ~$30 per bf. I'd rather use my QS white oak, which I paid $6-8 per bf, depending on where I bought it.

I too was thinking penetrating oil. I can get transparent Behr at H-D for about $35 / gallon, which would let me get a few years of reapplication before the can went bad. Maybe some Bloxygen to lengthen can time and/or transfer into quart cans, I think I have one or two empty quart cans..

[mark mcfarlane]

Mark, what wood is commonly used for decks in your area? That should be the cheapest durable wood available to you.

Pressure treated pine. Most people build with 2*4 decking which seems to be less expensive than milled 1*4. I don't want to go that cheap .