finishing oak for outdoors?

[Steve_Karl]

I'm in the middle of a park bench rebuild

using oak to replace the wood parts and I bought some Behr
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Premium-1-gal-500-Natural-Transparent-Weatherproofing-Wood-Finish-50001/100113076?keyword=behr+clear+waterproof

which still hasn't cured after 9 days. It's still sticky to the touch.

Unless someone has a quick fix for a problem like this I'm guessing I'll need to sand it down as much as possible and finish it with something that is good for outdoors.

Any recommendations for what product to use?

I was even considering automobile paint in rattle cans.

I always appreciate any thoughts you might have.

Thanks!

 

[bagman67]

Marine varnish, mebbe?  Just speculatin'.


Bad joke:



What do you call an Irishman too drunk to come in out of the rain?


Paddy O'Furniture!


Hey-oh...

 

[Steve_Karl]

Paddy O' - LOL!

Yea. Marine varnish makes sense. If it's good enough for a boat it should be great in occasional rain.

I think I'll try this:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_219242-90-207008_0__?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lowes.com%2Fpd_219242-90-207008_0__%3FproductId%3D3200869%23BVRRWidgetID&storeNumber=2219&selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=[com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%4045884588]&productId=3200869&ipTrail=173.75.14.241

 

[swarfrat]

An irishman once told me "Work is the curse of the drinking class".  There's at least two grades of Marine polyurethane, and Spar is the tougher more weather resistant one.

 

[Cagey]

It's not the rain/snow that'll get you - that's fairly easy to protect against. It's the UV light from that pesky star that enables life on this planet. About the only thing that's effective against it is to not be exposed to it. Past that, you just need to get next to the idea that you're going to do frequent refinishing. There are automotive finishes that are effective, but they're pretty damn expensive and won't really work for you on wood. Too much expansion/contraction to maintain an impermeable finish.

If it were me, I think I'd find a way to bolt the slats on the bench with stainless fasteners so you can get them off later. That way, you can more easily work on the things until they won't take any more working, at which point you replace them. In the meantime, get an awning or develop the habit of moving the thing out of the sun.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

I do architectural painting and restoration for a living.  The first thing I recommend is to not use just about anything that you can get at Home Depot or Lowes.  I have never had good results using Behr products.  For paying customers I pretty much only use Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore products.

If you just want to protect the wood, and not necessarily color it (beyond the usual amber that many products will provide) than Spar Varnish is a good product.  To contradict myself, you can actually get this at the Big Box stores I just knocked.

Steve, I think you are a fellow Pittsburgher.  If you need a Sherwin Williams product I can get it at a modest discount with my commercial account and pass the savings along to you.  But if all you need is a small can of Spar Varnish its probably easiest and cost effective to pick one up anywhere.  The Big Boxes have it, or if you go to a paint store, Westmoreland Supply or any Sherwin Williams store should be able to set you up.

Cagey pretty much hit the nail on the head with his assessment that the sun will require you to refinish this piece on a fairly regular basis. 

An added problem is that they just don't make paint or other finishing supplies like they used to.  All the dangerous stuff that government regulations now prohibit are the very same ingredients that made paint awesome.  Old lead oil paint works great, but you can't buy it anymore. 

I have heard word of mouth from other painters that Penofin is still a good product for decks, railings and other exposed wood.  The cool thing about Penofin is that it contains Brazilian Rosewood Oil!  I have not used it myself in years, so I can't vouch for it, but I would definitely consider it.

http://www.penofin.com/products.shtml

 

[Steve_Karl]

An irishman once told me "Work is the curse of the drinking class". 

An other good one that probably works in reverse also.

 

[swarfrat]

Its an intentional reversal of an old proverb for humorous effect.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks Cagey. I didn't know about the sun and the UV causing the wear and tear. That's very informative.
I think maybe I'll find a canvas cover for it when it's not in use.

Dwight! Yes. Pittsburgh here ... Highland Park specifically.
Thanks for the offer but I agree ... easiest to just drive up 28 to Lowes in the Mall and grab a quart of the Spar I linked to. No color necessary. I'm just looking for maximum duration of protection.

Now I just have to get that nasty sticky Behr crap off of it. Scraper then belt sander.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

Now I just have to get that nasty sticky Behr crap off of it. Scraper then belt sander.

This is going to be the worst part of the whole process.  Good luck!

 

[Steve_Karl]

Update:

Got all the boards cleaned off yesterday and only destroyed 2 sanding belts.