2 Sources For Rubio Monocoat Finish - My Review

[DerbyDad03]

Leon has been touting the wonders of Monocoat finishes for interior work and I am about to try it on some outdoor furniture. I will be using their Hybrid Wood Protector product, which is part of their exterior product line.

I have learned that

is Rubio Monocoat USA located in Austin, TX, (the actual Rubio company) while is Special Wood Products out of Oxford, GA. SWP is (according to Rubio) "a customer of ours and distributor of our products."

I contacted both companies, starting with Special Wood Products, because I didn't know about the "real" Rubio until later. I asked them both the same questions related to my Cedar sectional project, although by the time I contacted Rubio, I knew a little bit more and was able to go a little deeper. Once they answered all my questions, I went back to SWP and asked my deeper questions, getting the same answers in all cases.

OK, so except for one major difference, I am extremely satisfied with both companies when it comes to learning about Monocoat. Same products, same pricing, same level of knowledge and the same willingness to share that knowledge.

What is that difference I speak of? It's the ability to talk to a live person at SWP vs. only being able to on-line chat with Rubio. Now, the person I chatted with at Rubio answered all of my questions, not only about the product but also explaining who SWP is. While I was eventually able to type in all my questions and even attach pictures, it's always easier to get information when talking directly to a live person. I was also able to share pictures with SWP via email during our live conversation, so that is a wash.

I'm going to order from SWP on Monday as soon as I figured out how much I need after trying some more of the samples that they sent me. Both companies said that I could go as low as 30% colorant/70% Pure and still get adequate UV protection. Now it's just a matter of how much color I want. Retaining the color of the raw Cedar is not possible with any of their products and SWMBO is leaning towards brown, so I'm going to play with some ratios this weekend and see what makes her happy.

[Leon]

FWIW it may be now manufactured here in the US too. IIRC their video talks about the original company, in Spain. The product was developed as family business in the mid 60's IIRC. The business was formed in 1906.

[DerbyDad03]

From the USA site

Where is the product manufactured? Izegem, Belgium.

From the Belgium website

CONTACT INFO Plant 1 Rubio Monocoat Head Office Ambachtenstraat 58

8870 Izegem (Belgium)

Plant 2 Roeselaarsestraat 535

8870 Izegem (Belgium)

[Leon]

I am always forgetting that Belgium is not in Spain. Oops!

This being a world wide product now I suspect that there are numerous manufacturing locations.

[DerbyDad03]

The deeper you go, the more you learn.

First, I have verified that that Rubio only has 2 plants, both in Belgium as stated in their FAQ.

I also discovered that the customer service at Special Hardwood Products in GA is far superior to Rubio Monocoat USA in TX. Not only can you talk directly to a live person at SWP, they are willing to help you determine how much product you need based on your actual requirements. RMUSA will simply regurgitate the published spread rates and you are left on your own to tell them how much product you want to buy.

Jason at SWP was extremely helpful with helping me put together my order. If you order by phone, the prices are considerably cheaper. e.g. $131 per liter vs. $159 on-line, $19 per 100ML vs. $25.

When we were done discussing my specific needs, I mentioned to Jason that I found the customer service at RMUSA to be less than satisfying. He said that he hears that all the time. Very much surface level. (NPI) Once you start to get into the details, like I tried, they fail miserably.

SWP is basically "a bunch of flooring guys". They were the first importers of the Rubio products and have been using the interior stuff for 17 years. When RMUSA opened their sales office in TX, the guys from SWP trained their staff.

Another fun fact: On the RMUSA site, they state that you must use 10% Oil Part B (the accelerator) when using the exterior product on horizontal surfaces. Jason didn't mention that, so I asked him about it. He said that RMUSA started pushing that stuff on their website a few months ago. He called them on it and asked for an explanation. He knows that the accelerator shortens the cure time of the interior products from 21 days to 5, meaning that you get maximum water protection more quickly. However, the hybrid product already has a cure time of only 7 days and in reality, it reaches maximum water protection in under 48 hours. Not only does the Part B not actually speed up the water protection cure time, the accelerator is clear, so it offers no UV protection. That means that you are diluting your UV protection by that 10% with no offsetting advantage. In addition, it makes refinishing more difficult because Part B is a hardener which means future application of the Hybrid oil won't be absorbed as much as without it.

So I placed my order with Jason and hope to start finishing the Cedar for the outdoor sectional next weekend. I'm going to finish the parts first and then assemble it once it dries. There are approximately 60 - 70 pieces of 2 x 4's ranging from ~24" to 55". I'll be using pocket holes for any screws that won't be exposed and plugs for all others. I like that I can apply the Rubio product on the plugs without worrying about it not blending in with the surrounding oil. At least that's what I have been told. ;-)

[Leon]

Good to know. I was surprised that the accelerator was not mentioned for the out door product.

Anyway, good idea to prefinish before assembly. Much easier and all the surfaces get treated.

I would also advise to be prudent with how much accelerator you mix, if you use the accelerator, open time is limited. And if anything like the interior finishes a little goes a very long way.

Keep us posted with your progress!

[DerbyDad03]

At Jason recommendation, I will not be using the accelerator. There are only disadvantages.

Luckily, I have to wait for the finish because I have some more cutting to do. I did a mock-up of the armrests this weekend, mainly to see what a round-over vs. a chamfer vs. "just leave the cedar as is" looks like. (it has the tiniest of a round over, *way* less than you sometimes see on SYP 2 x 4's from the borg.)

Turns that we don't like how the armrests looked in general, so we came up with different design. It changed the height of the legs and requires and extra stringer. Luckily the legs I already cut can be used as the stringers and I had bought some extra wood just in case, so I'm all set. Plus, there is no need for a round-over or chamfer since the existing soft edge works great for the new design.

I just have to keep reminding myself that this is deck seating. It doesn't have to be perfect. I'm not building a piece of heirloom furniture.

[Leon]

On 8/1/2022 12:47 PM, DerbyDad03 wr

Except for the "how much you are spending" part. ;~)