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I live in South Louisiana and have a couple of cypress adirondack rockers. I want to keep them outdoors. Obviously, I would prefer to keep them on a screened porch, but I don’t have such an area YET. Until then (which may be a while), I was hoping to keep them outdoors but have been told I will need I will need a strong water-resistant varnish (urethane?) with a HIGH U.V. absorber content. My questions are specifically:
#1) What amount of U.V. absorber should I be looking for?
#2) Should I look for “marine” finishes?
#3) Can you recommend some particularly good brands?
#4) How many coats will I have to put on (remember I live in tropical South Louisiana)?
#5) How long can I expect this finish to hold up to sun and rain or is my idea not adviseable?
——-a thousand thanks in advance!
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Replies
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You're probably aware that cypress is near the top of the list of woods that hold up well to weather. I'd urge you to consider no finish, to save yourself maintenance time down the road. If that idea doesn't appeal to you, check out Chris Minick's column, "Wood vs. weather: the scoop on outdoor finishes," in FWW issue #135, p. 121.
*I've thought of that, but I've also been told that the reputation that cypress has for natural resistance to weather is based on the old HEART cypress, which by and large is difficult to find these days (even down on the bayou:). I know for a fact my lumber was new and probably not heart cypress. Also, even if cypress is strong, I'm worried about ultraviolet rays from the sun. Hmmmmm......I'm still thinking about it.
*I too am about to finish some adirondack chairs made from cypress. However, I bulit the screened porch first, so they should not be in direct sun or rain. I am planning to use a Behr tung oil product on them which inculdes some U.V. protection. However, I am no authority on the subject of finishing, as this will be the first project that I have used an oil on. My desire to use an oil finish was to keep away from a coated feel on the wood. Sound like a reasnoable plan?
*Penofin offers a variety of pigmented and clear finishes that are penetrating oils. They claim to block 90% of the UV rays with the "Blue Label" and (I think) 95% with the new "Red Label". - jb
*I just completed a teak patio table. We would like to keep it outside during the summer months. Is the best finsh no finish at all.
*When I was a kid in Tidewater Virginia, we used Spar varnish for woodwork on boats. It worked pretty well, but had to be re-done about every two years.Mostly we had teak and mohagany, some oak.
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