Replies

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Sep 10, 2007 07:00am | #1

   My automatic choice would be an oil with UV inhibitors.  You can find tinted oils too, if you wish to alter the colour.

   Chris @ flairwoodworks

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 10, 2007 03:09pm | #2

   About the only one of the elements which is of concern is sunlight.  If you keep the sun from destroying the finish and the wood rain and snow as well as heat and cold will pretty much take care of themselves.   

   An oil finish (really an oil/varnish -- pure oils such as BLO or tung oil would be just about worthless) even if designed for marine use is a very high maintenance finish calling for very frequent recoating.  The necessary interval to keep the wood from turning grey depends on your location and sun exposure.  In southern latitudes with unshaded south exposure this may mean about monthly recoating. 

   If you go with a brushed on film finish you can stretch out the maintenance interval a bit.  The first key is to start with a high quality marine grade spar varnish.  This means Epifanes Gloss, Interlux Schooner, or Pettit Captain's, not any of their imitators with nautical sounding names.  Follow all of the manufacturer's directions, though it may take a bit more thinner to get to a good brushing consistency, especially with Epifanes, than is recommended.  Any dulling of the sheen is a sign that you need to scuff sand and add an additional coat.  Touch up any dings promptly.  The same environment as above you could likely get by with annual recoating.  Eventually--say 5-7 years--you would likely need to strip it all off and start all over.  If you have lots of shade, and/or northern exposures the interval could be stretched to several years. 

   A good high quality exterior enamel in a light color is going to stay looking nice a whole lot longer.   

    

    

1. 
   bcool | Sep 11, 2007 02:44pm | #3

   Thanks, Steve, I appreciate your opinion. Buck

3. 
   hammer1 | Sep 11, 2007 04:42pm | #4

   I haven't found a clear, exterior, film forming finish that lasts very long. Then it requires a ton of work to re-new. Currently, I'm using a clear penetrating preservative on cedar. No blistering or peeling, easy to re-apply, soap and water clean up. The thing that will cause problems with your doors is splash. Unless there is a wide overhang and gutters, they are likely to get marked by the water splash, regardless of finish.

   http://www.defydeckstain.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=148&osCsid=43c3323f3938dfad38f67b5137df0a43

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   bcool | Sep 12, 2007 01:02am | #5

   What is the name of the product your using. It sounds a lot better than refinishing every couple of years. Buck

1. 
   hammer1 | Sep 12, 2007 06:19am | #6

   I posted a link to the product in my reply, can you see it? It should be a long address in red letters, you just have to click on it. The product I would recommend is Defy UV resistant clear wood finish. You will probably have to order it, delivery takes about a week. They make a number of other products, too.http://www.defydeckstain.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=148&osCsid=43c3323f3938dfad38f67b5137df0a43Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   bcool | Sep 12, 2007 03:03pm | #7

   My bad, hammer, the link was there right in front of my face. Thanks for the  post. Buck

4. 
   WoodShopGuy | Sep 21, 2007 05:42am | #8

   Since reading this post some days ago, I have been waiting for Howard to pipe in about acrylic clear paint, which would be my choice for this situation.

   Howard has contributed and saved a lot of information and has a very detailed stock reply on this general issue.

   If he does not come forward in the next few days, I will do some digging in my files to try to find it.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 21, 2007 02:56pm | #9

   The acrylic clear that I have seen (a two-part marine finish whose name my mind appears to have repressed) didn't live up to its  promise and, at least around here, hasn't taken hold in the yachting community, which is still clinging  to the traditional phenolic tung, or phenolic modified alkyd spar varnishes to keep brightwork bright.  But we may be talking about different things. 

1. 
   WoodShopGuy | Sep 24, 2007 02:05am | #12

   “But we may be talking about different things.”That is for sure, Steve. I was simply referring to readily available around-the-house type clear paint, and certainly nothing nearly as sophisticated as marine, automotive or aircraft type formulations.Cheers!Smilin Bob

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 24, 2007 02:33am | #13

   My problem is that "clear paint" is essentially an oxymoron.  By definition, paint contains pigment.  If a coating is clear it is not paint but is varnish (or lacquer, etc.)  Some people do speak about "clear paint base", which to me is a varnish which becomes paint when the pigment it is intended to encorporate is added.  All mostly just a symantic exercise.   

   I'm extremely dubious about the alleged benefits of paint base as an exterior film finish.  Why should the manufacturer encorporate superior, and expensive, UV protectant additives in a product where the pigment will block UV anyway, and which sells for $35 per gallon, compared to a product made for a critical market and which sells for almost $35 per quart.   

1. 
   WoodShopGuy | Sep 24, 2007 04:17am | #14

   “My problem is . . . .”Steve, I hear ya! I am not all that currently well educated and up-to-date on this subject. Simply tried to help by parroting general information I knew to be true a few years ago. I am not the right person with whom to dig in and debate – why I was hoping some other more expert types I know of would chime in?Sorry Man!Smilin Bob

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Sep 24, 2007 05:39am | #15

   That's fine--I suspect we have got their attention. It's all been based on a post or two on the four-letter magazine forum some years ago.  I've seen that a number of times, but nothing systematic to support the idea, or for that matter any real testing to refute it. 

5. 
   dherzig | Sep 21, 2007 10:47pm | #10

   I have cedar trim and accents on my house (half-timbered Tudor). The paint on the trim is peeling. The new painter I have hired is adamant that one must use only a solid colored stain on exterior cedar to allow for flexing and for moisture movement. We shall see in the next couple of years.

1. 
   saschafer | Sep 21, 2007 10:55pm | #11

   The big problem with cedar (and redwood, too), is getting the primer to stick to the wood. Zinnser claims that their shellac-based primers will do the job better than others, but I haven't tried it myself.

   -Steve