Hi everyone. My name is Janusz, I was born in Poland, I spent 18 years in Mexico City and since 1983 I am permanent US resident. My number one hobby is woodworking and number two golfing. Just joined the club and here is my first question. My wife loves gardening so I promised her a potting workbench for her birthday gift. It will be all cedar. Could someone tell me which would be the best finish for this kind of wood. The banch will be sitting permanently ourdoors. I live in Southern Texas which means hot and humid weather. I will appreciate your help.
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Replies
I would leave it unfinished. It will weather nicely and you won't need to re-finish later.
Thanks a lot for your suggestion Gretchen, but I would like to presreve the redish color of cedar. I will try to follow Paul's advice. Best regards.
Use 5-8 coats of a good exterior finish like those from penofin.com, epifanes.com, or sikkens.com
The extra coats provide the UV protection you will need to stand up to the sunlight and weather. You will need to sand the finish back and re-apply a few coats of the finish every year or two. If you wait until the finish fails, you will have to completely strip, bleach, and sand the wood before re-applying the finish.
Gretchen's advice to leave the wood unfinished is the easiest solution.
Paul
F'burg, VA
Thank you Paul.
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