I recently made a storage box out of common redwood purchased from lowes but now I’m lost on how to finish it. The box will be sitting by my pool and will get full sun for at least 6 hours per day and I live in northern CA so it will see temps up to 110 in the summer and as low as 30 in the winter. It will also be outside in the rain 4-5 months a year.
I was planning on just putting urethane over it because I want it to be waterproof on the inside but have been reading on forums that it is not recommended. Any ideas on how I can protect the wood and still waterproof the inside of the box?
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Putting any finish on it will only create maintenance issues for you. You have chosen redwood which has natural resistance to deterioration. Leave it alone and let it develop it's own natural grey color. If you want it to be lined with some waterproofing, make a fiberglass or copper liner.
Agreed. Like a wooden fence or deck, once you finish it, you have to re-finish it regularly. Leave the redwood natural.
All the above is true however, if you want the wood to retain the nice redish color you can use products such as Cetol or Waterseal that do not build a layer and can just be maintained by cleaning the surface and recoating.
urethane is not waterproof. How about just using a plastic tub or container that's the right size, inside the box? Low maintenance, easy to replace.
Funny. I've never had a problem with water getting through a urethane topcoat.
Although I work mainly with oils, I've built a couple special orders with urethane finishes. You'd think I'd notice since I wet sanded those projects without water bleeding through.
However, leaving it bare works, too.
This might be what you're looking for. I've used it mainly for hardening and restoring rotted lumber, but I believe it works as a sealer for new wood too. They have a cold climate formula also. http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/index.html
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