Cedar in wet area

[henlan77]

I have a Western Red Cedar shower grate that will be installed in the shower area of a new bathroom. It will be fairly constantly wet.

What would you treat the cedar with? I was hoping to find a presrvative/oil/semi-porous product rather than a clear coat.

Any help much appreciated.

[Vernonv]

Hi Henlan77,
Sorry I can't help with an answer, but I'd also be interested in what people suggest, as we will soon have a similar application to yours.

[BobL]

Unfortunately you haven't got a chance of keeping looking anything like it's original state and you just have to get used to looking at greyish looking wood. There is no oil or semi porous treatment that will stand up to a constant exposure and dissolving effects of hot water, soaps and shampoos, Even 2 pack clear epoxy will quickly crack and peel under that sort of exposure.

If you want to see what the wood will look like after a few months oil it up and put a piece in a dishwasher for half a dozen cycles.

[henlan77]

Thanks for the info BobL.
Ok, so I have 2 options:

1) Give it a clear coat of something (epoxy, polyurethane etc) and it may crack/peal/fail anyway and require re-finishing

2) Leave it natural and let it go grey. Do you know if cedar will age OK in a bathroom? Is it likely to 'age gracefully' or go black and mouldy? The grey weathered look is fine, but dirty and mouldy is not.

How do they keep cedar hot tubs, saunas etc looking good?

[BobL]

In a sauna steam or heat will kill the mould. Steam is also not as bad as soap and shampoo which very quickly dissolves the natural oils in timber.

Mouldy wooden gratings will benefit from a UV bleaching (put them in the direct sun) for a day or two.

[henlan77]

Any idea what timber I should have used? Teak maybe?

[BobL]

Any idea what timber I should have used? Teak maybe?

Unfortunately I don't any timber would really do the job in the long term.

[Toymaker Len]

The trick with cedar in bathrooms is to leave it raw and it will age very nicely. Oils and varnishes seem to promote mould.

[Andrew_B]

yep....
raw/hand rubbed....
we have one here about 50cm x 40cm...
has been around for a long time now and is still nice and looks great...

[Ironwood]

Mines left untreated, and it still looks great.

[henlan77]

Thanks for the tips re leaving it raw. However I am curious if you are referring to the types of grates used outside the shower, or something which gets wet all the time. See the attached pic of my setup. You will see that the timber will be constantly wet and is slightly more substantial than your 'doormat' style grate.

Cheers.

[ScottmW]

I am keen to know how this ended up working out for you? I am looking at doing a similar thing, timber shower grate in the shower, and am looking for advice on the best species and finishing treatment.

[Robson Valley]

I live in the natural environment for western red cedar. On the coast, totem poles stand for centuries with no preservative treatments.
Many of my WRC wood carvings (10+?) are outdoors in the elements, forever. We don't bring these things in. Like people, they have a life span.
They fall over. Like people do. If you need a spare, make/buy/build a spare.

[ScottmW]

I appreciate that, but this environment will be inside a shower, with fairly thin pieces of timber. They will be getting wet (inside the shower, so well and truly wet) a couple of times a day, as well as being subjected to soap and shampoo's etc. The timber will receive almost no direct sunlight, and it will be a fairly complex construction (it is not just a rectangle, and will be comprised of a few panels to make it easier to take out for cleaning when or if required). I am hoping to get some advice on whether or not any timber will really stand up to this environment without suffering from mould or rot, for at least a couple of years to make it worth while.