Asking Advice on Finishing Cedar Benches

[Bob Carter]

Folks,

Just got my second woodworking order for six twin-seater cedar benches. I built a prototype last Spring, finished it with three coats of spar varnish, and put it on my south-facing deck to see how the finish held up over a Wisconsin Summer. In the main it held up fairly well, save for two or three spots the finish clouded and the wood grayed a bit.

So...I was wondering if I might get a better, longer lasting finish if I sealed with no-wax shellac then the three coats of spar varnish.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks, Bc pathwalkatcenturyteldotnet

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[Lew Hodgett]

Totally encapsulate the bare wood with 2-3 coats of laminating epoxy (low viscosity), followed by 2-3 coats of varnish that contains a UV inhibitor.

Sand out drips, etc, after each coat of epoxy.

Allow epoxy to cure at least a week before varnish.

Lew

[Dave Balderstone]

Is the UV inhibitor the only reason to varnish over the epoxy?

djb

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I don't think the shellac is going to make any difference.

I'd just use Penofin oil and no varnish. It has UV inhibitors.

[Lew Hodgett]

Basically, YES.

Epoxy is great stuff, but has lousy UV resistance.

The real secret is TOTAL encapsulation.

Forget to do it, sooner or later the water will find a way into the wood and screw your best intensions outta sight.

Lew

[SonomaProducts.com]

Yup... Penofin is it baby.