it ain't much

[HowardH]

But it was fun to build!  The legs are connected to the apron via Dowelmax.  Also the table top strips.  Everything else is Festooled!  It will painted and used as a table between two adirondack chairs. I'm still amazed how satiny smooth my RO150 with 180 brilliant paper leave the surface.  Seems almost sacrilegious to paint over them! 
[attachimg=#]

 

[waho6o9]

Very nice.  Clean work.  Me thinks that would look great stained.  Paint if you must.    [eek]

 

[HowardH]

It's going to be set outside in the hot texas weather so I don't have much of a choice.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone has a relatively bullet proof outdoor finish.  I remember something about a high end marine varnish but I don't remember the name.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Epifanes varnish is the deal for sun like that... I'm in Arizona   I have an oak cabinet I built and put on the patio.  No stain, just the varnish and it holds up very very well.

I wanted a matte finish so I put 3 gloss coats of Epifanes then 2 or 3 of the matte finish (can't recall... until it was the correct sheen), then 2 more gloss.  The reason for this unusual schedule is that I know over time I will need to renew it periodically.  With the top two coats as gloss, I can sand to clean them up and reapply gloss and hopefully not affect the matte sheen.  This allows for spot touch-ups.  It has been out there 2 summers now and just one panel could use some sanding and mostly because some water leached in during a 10-day non-stop drizzle.

 

[Roseland]

I'd certainly take a look at Sikkens finishes.  They have an excellent reputation here in the UK.  The advantage over varnish is that it doesn't crack and allow water ingress.

A

 

[AlexThePalex]

Ok, I'm curious now. What's the difference between varnish and stain?  ???

 

[AdamM]

Ok, I'm curious now. What's the difference between varnish and stain?  ???

In a nutshell, stain's primary purpose is to add color to the wood while varnish adds protection.

 

[bruegf]

It's going to be set outside in the hot texas weather so I don't have much of a choice.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone has a relatively bullet proof outdoor finish.  I remember something about a high end marine varnish but I don't remember the name.

From my years of boat ownership, I've found Sikkens Cetol to be the finish that lasted the longest and needed the least amount of maintenance over the years.  The regular Cetol has a bit of an orange tinge to it, so if you decide to try it, make sure you get the Light version.

Fred

 

[tigger]

Ok, I'm curious now. What's the difference between varnish and stain?  ???

In a nutshell, stain's primary purpose is to add color to the wood while varnish adds protection.

Agreed, normal wood stain is pretty much a dye and offers nothing else in the way of protection. In fact, even after the stain has dried you will get a residue on your hands every time you touch it. The great thing here is that you can mix stains to create you own colors (just remember the proportions if you want to repeat the color later on)
There are a lot of varnishes available that have a pre-determined color added or you can just use clear.

A point of interest: The rule of thumb is that if you use laquer, thinners or oil-based varnish your wood will darken in color. But if you want to retain the woods natural color then use a water-based varnish.

 

[HowardH]

Epifanes varnish is the deal for sun like that... I'm in Arizona   I have an oak cabinet I built and put on the patio.  No stain, just the varnish and it holds up very very well.

That was it.  Epifane.  I remember someone else saying it was extremely durable.  I had used that crap from HD, Minwax spar urethane.  It barely lasted one season.  I ended up sanding it off completely and re-painting and that has held up beautifully. 

 

[bobbobbob]

I remember sometime in 2009 there was an article in Fine Woodworking comparing various finishes used outdoors. Maybe someone here has a copy handy to scan...

 

[peter halle]

I don't think that scanning and posting it would be acceptable regarding copyrights.

But - here is the link.  Membership is required but you can sign up for a free 14 day trial membership:

link:  Outdoor finishes

Peter

 

[wintu]

another vote for epifanes  varnish. its used a lot on boats where sun is really big problem.  here is my sailboat hatch after 10 coats of epifanes varnish 

 

[Hoover]

Check out penofin, its an exterior oil finish.  If you need to reapply again, you just go right over it since its a penetrating oil.

http://www.penofin.com/