Best outdoor finish to retain timber colour?

[oldnewby]

Hi all.,
I've just finished building some decking.It's merbu and while most of it is under cover a fair chunk is out in the open. My question is what particular finish will retain the natural colour of the wood? I'm thinking of using oil and don't mind having to re-do every six months or so. But is there a finish (clear) that is particularly light fast?

Thanks for reading.

[TomH]

The unfortunate answer to your question is no there is not. This is the answer my local paint shop gave me.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f40/outdoor-table-chair-build-143365/#post1442189

I have recently built a table & deck and finished in feast watson natural. It's brought out the natural colour, similar to wetting the wood, but it's not the same as the plain timber. Any decking oil will eventually darken your product considerably.

I'm sure some of the poly based finishes (assuming that's what the Sikkens & intergrain products are) give a clearer finish, however, then you have to keep it maintained and sand it back before recoating rather than a quick run over with decking oil.

I'm very happy with how my stuff has turned out.

Cheers,

Tom

[Master Splinter]

Layers of epoxy followed by layers of polyurethane varnish to block UV from the epoxy. (See link for details)

DRIVE Marine Services (http://www.boatcraftnsw.com.au/clearcoatings/index.html)