what finish for outside table?

[Pappy]

Hi Chaps,

I am currently building an large outdoor table out of Vic Ash and Redgum. The table will be under cover but will get direct sunlight and the odd bit of rain.

What finish do people think would be best. I was thinking either marine clear or deck type oil.( food issues with oil?)

Any advice welcome.

Thanks

Pappy

[soundman]

Remember one thing...if it is out in the sun and weather......no matter what clear finish you use you will be redoing it in 2 to 5 years.
That may influence your choice.

OH one thing that will dramaticlay increase the life of the finish is a tablecloth or throw cover.

cheers

[AngelaPetruzzi]

You will be lucky if you get 5 years from a clear finish and if so, ensure you find out on exact reapplication, that is tht you do not need to sand back each time.
If you haven't treated it yet, go for a decking oil and ensure that you can rejuvenate it easily without sanding back.....and if you wanted a 'natural" oil, there is no clear that will withstand the UV rays and weathering. You need something with some pigment in it.....and yes, as Soundman said a table cloth does help, but then again, covers up the timber.

[Pappy]

Thanks Chaps,

I am still undecided in what to use.

It was sugested I use "Sikens" deck oil and then a clear "Glasscoat" over it.

Will a clear stick to the deck oil?

Am I better to just use the deck oil?


Pappy

[LGS]

Hi Pappy,

I made a Merbau outside table about 5 years ago and finished it with Integrain Natural Deck Oil. (I think it's just tree turpentine) and it has held up a treat. I usually give it a go over at the start of BBQ season, but not always. The table is still in great nick and the timber is still the colour of Merbau after 5 years.

Regards,

Rob

[soundman]

Now ya getting rediculous .

Decking oil is probably a good choice.

Remember nothing you do will last for very long outdoors, so you want something that is easy to reapply and do so long before it starts looking crook.

As LGS is doing, after the chill goes out of winter, give the thing a stiff scrub with you deterget or cleaner of choice and give it a single coat of the same as you started with....and it will look marvelous fa years.

As for the clearcoat, seriously one of the worst things you could use .

Clear coat and all of the pouring / coating epoxies and two packs will have the same issue.

appart from not going well over decking oil, they are genearlly not real flash in the UV stability stakes, which means they will look great for a while but when the coating fails they will look horrible and start comming off in big sharp flakes...that would not be so bad if all of it flaked off...but it wont and the stuff that does not want t come off will realy be hard to get rid of.

It does not matter what anybody tells you, if you leave this item out in the sun wind and rain you WILL be recoating it in the next year or two or it WILL look disgusting after 5 or so years.

cheers

[TomH]

Hi Pappy,

I recently built an outdoor table and finished in Feast Watson decking oil. Used clear, but has no UV stabiliser so not great for fully exposed timber. The table is under a laserlite patio, and so has been fine - I've given it a coat every 6 months. The deck is a bit more exposed and so needs recoating every 3 months. Easy to recoat, and I spray it on for the chairs.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f40/ou...-build-143365/

Cheers,

Tom

[strangerep]

...what Soundman said.

Even ultra-expensive 2-pack marine-grade polyurethanes (which require maybe 5-10 coats) are unlikely to last more than few years, depending on degree of exposure. And recoating is a pain because you have to get the old stuff off first.

Re decking oils: Cutek CD50 lasts the longest (much longer than Feast-Watson, in my experience), but initially stays tacky for a while. You also need to wait maybe 1-2 weeks minimum before applying 2nd coat.
Eventually, clean with Napisan first before recoating.

Personally, I'd be keeping a totally opaque black waterproof cover over the whole thing when not in use.