Finishing redwood for outdoors?

[Bill]

Guys,

I am building an outdoor shower stall out of some old rehabbed redwood. Any recommendations for a coating. I don't think that I want to paint it.

Bill

[Patriarch]

"Bill" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Linseed oil, thinned maybe 2 to 1 with mineral spirits, applied every couple of years. Spray it on with a garden sprayer, like you would use for pesticides, if you want. It works for my redwood fences.

I wouldn't try to use anything with a film finish, like varnish. YMMV.

Patriarch

[B a r r y]

I LOVE this stuff on western red cedar.

Barry

[B a r r y]

Sorry, forgot the link:

[Schroeder]

I use General Finishes outdoor project finish (not sure of the exact name), It has UV protectors that hold the color the same as the day it is applied. Can be applied the same way Patriarch suggested.

Schroeder

[HerHusband]

Bill,

Several months ago I made some corner shelves for a large indoor shower. I recycled the redwood from an old deck we tore down. I applied three coats of an exterior "Spar" varnish, making sure to cover all edges and surfaces of the wood. So far it looks great, and works beautifully.

Spar varnish is commonly used for boats and exterior doors, so I assume it would hold up on an outdoor shower. I got mine at the local Lowes store.

It will produce a bit of a gloss though, which you may or may not be looking for? But, it would probably be easier to clean than oiled wood?

Anthony

[PDQ]

Spar varnish will hold up well as long as you keep it out of the sun. There is, probably, no clear finish that can stand up to sun.

--=20 PDQ