Best Finish For Outdoor Cedar Furniture

Cedar furniture left unfinished works best in climates that don t encourage decay.

Best finish for outdoor cedar furniture.

Thompsons waterseal advanced natural wood protector easy to use waterproof mildew growth uv damage and fading. By mark schofield may 13 2009 in the article torture test for outdoor finishes fww issue 205 one of the best finishes was the combination of a penetrating epoxy sealer under epifanes marine varnish. Prior to applying new finish scrub the surface with a cleaner containing an oxidizing agent such as bleach. Left to itself cedar will age naturally to a handsome silver gray patina with the occasional darker streak it is a random natural process after all.

The wood grain will be raised a little over time and be more prominent. However clear coat polyurethane which gives the wood a shiny smooth finish should only be used on indoor furniture. For smooth planed flat grained cedar some surface preparation may be desirable. For a natural look penetrating oil finishes might be your best bet.

Use stainless steel hardware and waterproof adhesives whenever you can. They shed water for a year or so before requiring reapplication. Factory priming as the name implies is performed in an industrial setting where a machine coating process applies a coating to all six sides of each board. An exterior oil finish is definitely the simplest quickest way to treat an outdoor project.

High quality formulations have finely ground pigments that block uv rays while allowing the grain to show. Your glue and screws nails will not though. How to decide on a finish for indoor cedar furniture. On flat grained wood the surface should be scuff sanded with 50 60 grit sandpaper.

Epoxy with exterior varnish. Exterior varnish or urethane. Outdoor cedar furniture should be finished with a wood sealer as this will give the wood a much better protection against rain and moisture. Indoor cedar furniture should use a clear coat polyurethane as this will give the wood a smooth and shiny finish.

This procedure will greatly increase the coatings performance but will not detract from a smooth finish. It will age and turn gray. Howard citrus shield paste wax suitable for finished and unfinished wood ability to bring back the natural color with. Cedar is one of the few woods that will be just fine outdoors without any input from man.

Exterior finishes for siding and trim factory finishing priming for optimum performance the wrcla recommends that western red cedar is pre primed or pre finished prior to job site delivery. Cedar will also outlast any finish you put on it. It will last forever. On the downside it will only give you.