I want to retain the natural color of some wicker (all woven reed) furniture while protecting it as much as possible from the sun. The furniture will be outside in the summer where it won’t get wet but will be in the sun. I’m thinking that a marine varnish would be great while it lasted but when it inevitably broke down it would be difficult to refinish. So I was thinking that a penetrating clear finish like something designed for decks might work. It could be reapplied every other year with out much trouble. My paint guy didn’t think a deck finish would penetrate the reeds. Someone else suggested linseed oil thinned with turpentine. This didn’t seem to penetrate too well and after 24 hours wasn’t dry. (I tried it on a small area)

Any ideas?