Best low-maintenance finish for outdoor bench

[Alan Lightstone]

I had initially posed this question on my other thread regarding building this bench, but really need a good answer now.

I've completed an outdoor bench, made from white oak, that will live facing west in my house on the Gulf Coast of Florida. So lots of afternoon sun, even though it is under the balcony.

Completed Outdoor Bench Before Finishing.jpg

SWMBO really wants a somewhat grey tone to the piece. Nothing warm. Unfortunately, that ruled out a number of finishes. I tried Sikkens Cetol Natural Teak which was suggested.

Also, I REALLY don't want a film finish. I have a Titanic Deck Chair that I built a few years ago living in the same space. All the vertical slats made refinishing a real nightmare. This piece has even more of those, so it really can't be a film finish. This rules out marine spar varnishes.

I've thought of oil finishes. Not great protection, but easy reapplication. I'm wondering if there is an oil-based stain that can resist fading from UV that I could perhaps treat the bench with first, then apply an oil finish after that, like Tung Oil, perhaps. I'm assuming that just using a grey dye would fade quickly under the oil finish.

So I'm ground to a halt here, and need some good suggestions from the wise folks here.

[Jim Becker]

Grey is easy if you and SWMBO can be patient...it's going to turn that color anyway, so using an exterior penetrating oil finish will get you a nice look and the sun and oxidation will get you the grey. But any kind of UV protection is going to retard the natural greying process.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I use Thompson's Water Seal for stuff like this.
Even though you need to redo it every other year, it goes on easy and quick.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

This becomes dark but is easy to maintain. JD = Jamestown Distributors.

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[John TenEyck]

The best product I've found is called One Time. It's a 100% solids acrylic that cures by UV light. Never peels, doesn't support mold growth. Just fades over time telling you it's time for another coat. Unfortunately, it's not available in gray.

John

[Stan Calow]

Our white oak bench turned gray then almost black pretty quickly on its own. I finished it with an outdoor oil, then a different brand after a year or so, and again with a third. Just face it that nothing will last for long outdoors. Around here, wood decks and fences are common, and mostly finished in the deck/fence finishes that are made for that purpose, so trying to use indoor furniture finishes is a waste of time.

[Alan Lightstone]

The best product I've found is called One Time. It's a 100% solids acrylic that cures by UV light. Never peels, doesn't support mold growth. Just fades over time telling you it's time for another coat. Unfortunately, it's not available in gray.

John

Interesting, John. Now SWMBO is wanting a very dark brown, like some walnut shelving I made for her.

I'm thinking I may use Dark Tung Oil with Mixol Dark Brown Oxide dye mixed in. I'm thinking over time it will get more greyish, but keeping that dark brown overtone.

Tung oil with Mixol is ok? I know Transtint, which I'm used to using, is not.

Where do you buy your One Time? Google sends me off in many wrong directions.

[andy bessette]

Perhaps a pickled finish.

[Philip Glover]

Where do you buy your One Time? Google sends me off in many wrong directions.

https://onetimewood.com/

Enjoy,

Phil

[Alan Lightstone]

https://onetimewood.com/

Enjoy,

Phil

Thanks John, Phil. I ordered some sample colors. I just sent them a message asking if I could add Mixol pigment to their product to alter the color. Their website says no, so I'm not sure the color will work. Their samples online don't use white oak, so I'll make a few test boards.

I'm getting close to the desired color with the Dark Tung Oil / Mixol combination for another approach.

Reading and viewing their videos I have no idea what the product is. Water-based? Oil-based?

[John TenEyck]

The answer to most questions about OneTime can be found by clicking on the Questions and Answers tab at the bottom. This is what it says about what OneTime is:

One TIME is a proprietary acrylate resin blend that contains no water, no wax, no silicone, no oil and is VOC compliant. The resins are cured by natural sunlight and become part of the cellular structure of the wood. Your wood is better protected from the elements of weather because One TIME penetrates deeply and even cures into the wood cells protecting the wood from the inside out whereas most water based stains rest on the surface and can lose their effectiveness in a year or two. Conventional treatments typically contain water and/or solvents that can cause the wood's cellular structure to swell, then shrink as it dries, causing cracking. Water and solvents also dissipate quickly into the air. And because most wood treatments build up on the surface and eventually wash away, it becomes necessary to reseal the wood every 1-2 years.


And about adding another brand of pigment to OneTime:


No, One TIME is unique and not compatible with other systems.

I wouldn't spend time, Alan, trying to develop a home brew if the piece you are going to put it on is going to see any weather. Organic oils, including Tung Oil, will not survive in the sun, and if you live where there are 3 or 4 seasons it will support mold growth and turn into a black mess. Plenty of experience with this from trying to remove the 3 or four different oil based products I tried on my deck before I found OneTime. I'm not saying OneTime is a wonder drug, but it's the best stuff I've found for outdoor wood yet in terms of maintenance. It's not a film finish, so it won't crack, peel, etc. One the other hand, it's not a film finish so the surface will be no smoother than the underlying wood. Nothing's perfect.

John

[Rich Engelhardt]

SWMBO really wants a somewhat grey tone to the piece. Nothing warm. Unfortunately, that ruled out a number of finishes. I tried Sikkens Cetol Natural Teak which was suggested.

I just now caught that....

Are you saying you already put a coat of Cetol on?

If that's so, then forget about just about anything mentioned so far.
One Time says not to apply it to anything else - which makes sense since it has to penetrate the wood to be effective.
The same is true for any type of oil finish. It has to penetrate the wood to be effective.
A semi transparent stain, either oil or water born might work, but, there again, the best results come from putting it on bare or weathered wood.

You best and safest bet is to probably just let what you have on there already weather off for a year or two.
Or, you can strip off whatever you have on now. Stripping off a material like Cetol is pretty iffy - as far as getting a uniform removal so close to the time it was applied.
There again, it's probably best to strip the Cetol off and let it weather until next year.

[Alan Lightstone]

I just now caught that....

Are you saying you already put a coat of Cetol on?

If that's so, then forget about just about anything mentioned so far.
One Time says not to apply it to anything else - which makes sense since it has to penetrate the wood to be effective.
The same is true for any type of oil finish. It has to penetrate the wood to be effective.
A semi transparent stain, either oil or water born might work, but, there again, the best results come from putting it on bare or weathered wood.

You best and safest bet is to probably just let what you have on there already weather off for a year or two.
Or, you can strip off whatever you have on now. Stripping off a material like Cetol is pretty iffy - as far as getting a uniform removal so close to the time it was applied.
There again, it's probably best to strip the Cetol off and let it weather until next year.

No, Rich. I should have worded it better.

I tried the Cetol on a test piece. The bench is still entirely unfinished.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Phew! I'm glad to hear that!

[Alan Lightstone]

Still waiting on small test sample bottles from One Time. It's been several weeks now, and when I called the company they said their postal meter was broken, so it hasn't been sent out. I really didn't know what to say to that. If only one could use a method of transportation to drive to a post office. Wondering how long it would take to get the finish itself if I am okay with the color.

Their tech support is losing the sale pretty quickly (or slowly in this case).

Reminds me of last week when I went to the post office to get some stamps. I was told they were out of stamps, and were having trouble getting in stamps. When I said, "But you're the Post Office", she just shrugged.