Hello Peter,

I am replacing rotted sections of an old, exterior beadboard soffit with new mahogany beadboard planks. The planks will sit under the eaves, and so receive no direct sunlight. The roof was recently replaced, so there should be no concerns about leaking from above.

I’ve read Sean Clarke’s recent article on exterior finishing and, although the epoxy sealer sounds great, I don’t like the idea of using a spar varnish. It will be difficult enough installing the beadboard two stories up, and I can’t imagine setting up scaffolding every 18 months to re-sand and re-coat the whole surface. I’d like a finish that doesn’t need to be re-sanded.

I thought of using the epoxy sealer followed by a Waterlox Marine Finish (Waterlox says no sanding is required before seasonal re-coating). I’ve also read about the Penofin Hardwood Finish, which requires no sanding for a re-coat.

I’d be really grateful for any suggestions you may have. I am certainly not committed to the epoxy-Waterlox combination.

Thank you,
Lucian

Another edit: I just realized that an oil finish wouldn’t work over epoxy. So now I’m really confused.

Edited 9/19/2006 12:35 pm ET by Lucian