I recently made an Adirondack chair out of white cedar and I want to protect it for outdoor use. I saw an online video that recommended tung oil. However, after putting on two coats of tung oil I noticed the can said for indoor use only! I shouldn’t have just accepted the guys opinion without reading the can. I put the chair out and a light sprinkle caused spots all over the chair! Now what can I do? Is there anything I can do to remove the spots? Do I sand it? I know tung oil penetrates deeply into the wood but is there anything I can do to remove it? Thanks for any help on this!
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Keeping wood "natural" outdoors is really hard. It takes frequent work to keep it looking decent. If it were mine, I'd paint it. Much more durable.
The best clearcoats are a marine finish. But don't buy something with marine in the name from a big box store. They're crap. Go to a marine supply store.
Hey,
I only work with oils and I have some bad news for you. There for now, there for life. Unless you want to disassemble it and run it through a planer. Sanding creates heat that drives the oil deeper. Mineral spirits, the same problem.
I once tried kerosene to see if I could burn off just the oil. Thankfully I only lost an expensive piece of wood and didn't burn the house down. Gas comes close but the project will never be the same.
Now the upside. I'd add another coat of tung oil and let it cure to complete dryness. Meaning if you press a cloth into it and nothing shows it's dry. To be sure, find a spot that won't be noticed and take some 60 grit to it. If it comes up dry after 3 swipes it's ready. So, believe it or not, it'll take a urethane or poly topcoat. Should solve your problem.
By the way, I wondered who was the only person to not read the instructions. Now I know.
Good luck,
Mikaol
Oh, all deference to John but the words paint and wood should never appear together.
Several years ago I built a Jatoba-based outdoor bench. I contacted Watco, PPG (Deft) and Sherwin Williams (Minwax)... each told me that the best I could hope for was one to two years, and then I would need to recoat, if not strip off the finish and re-apply. These days, I leave my outdoor furniture unfinished, and use only Teak or Jatoba in the builds - there are other 'outdoor' woods, and they will set you back, financially.
I don't trust any product that says it will provide long-term outdoor protection (UV or otherwise). I would start at a commercial marine store, and ask a lot of questions. I know that PPG (Deft) has marine customer service - Deft is not marketed to DIYs; rather, it goes into architectural, government and commercial markets; and there may be a Sherwin-Williams equivalent (stay away from Minwax, and other consumer-friendly places: this is just marketing).
Tung oil is a main component in marine varnishes so I would suggest that you give it a light sanding to even the color, wipe down with mineral spirits and use a stain like finish such as Cetol or Deks Olje. It will need upkeep but will not peel or require stripping as maintenance coats are required.
Try Waterlox.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Any thoughts on why the rain caused the marks?
Water marks are caused by the wood getting wet. Two coats of oil wiped down are not enough to make it waterproof. Oils by themselves do not make durable finishes and require upkeep to protect the wood from moisture and dirt.
I suspect that the rain got on before the tung oil was fully cured. It is a polymerising finish and needs about a week in the dry before it can get any water on it.
That having been said, finishing outdoor timber is an exercise in self-flagellation. Cedar looks awesome silver.
Jamestown Distributors is a great source for weather resistant wood finishes. They are a boatbuilder's supplier and have all manner of coatings, even paints for below the waterline. That'll keep the rain off your deck furniture.
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