Outdoor finish for African Mahogany

[matt romanowski]

I'm building an outdoor table from African Mahogany and can't decide on the finish. I'm leaning towards Waterlox Marine, but I'm not positive. I'm in NH and will take the table in for winters, but it will be out from April to October. I don't mind refinishing the top every few years and figure I would have to do that with any finish. I'm also planning on making the table slightly off level to help the water run off (but not too much). I'm thinking about incorporating some sort of drip edge on the top as well to keep water off the underside of the top.

Does anyone have any suggestions or experiences? I am leaning away from a spar varnish sort of finish, but they said that is what the Waterlox Marine is, so.....

Photo so show the work in process.


Copy of 20200518_122907.jpg

[Phil Mueller]

All outdoor finishes will require some maintenance sooner or later. I prefer an oil/penetrating finish that I know will grey over time, but is easily reapplied when needed. Hard top coat finishes may keep the wood looking better a little longer, but require more work to reapply. Of course, opaque finishes (paint, stains) will last longer as well, but cover up the natural wood. Lately, I’ve used either a mixture of BLO/Turpentine/Wax, or Flood natural deck finish after a quick power wash.