sealer for cedar furniture

[goaliedad]

I have a hobby business- making cedar adirondack chairs. Up til now I have tried to sell them with no finish- I have used a water base Zar poly on a few. My question is what kind of sealer would you suggest? I have a dealer in an upscale resort area that is taking some chairs on consignment- I'm thinking that I can do well with some sort of sealer- I want easy to apply, spray on, minimum brushing. I've heard Thompson's is great- or worthless. Cabot's is the best. Cabot's Australian Timber Oil is the way to go.

What would you use, and why?

Thanks

 

[BTDT]

I think most cedar "trinket boxes" have clear varnish on the outside. Inside is left unpainted due to smell, you want it to smell like cedar. For furniture, I would think that clear varnish would work, but you would have to paint it on (possibly with brush), unless you had a vat big enough to just dip it (quicker, more costly).

As for some kind of oil, that seems like it would work to seal, but it might also rub off and stain clothes.

 

[jinman]

I am no finishing expert and this may be bogus info, but it seems that native rough cedar with just the bark removed, might need to be cured to remove moisture. I'm not sure any sealer would "stick" with moisture still coming out of the wood. I'd think an oil rub with linseed oil or the Cabot's would be the best for the wood's condition. However, if it is dryed cedar, then any normal finish should work.

Again, I'm not an expert, but most sealers keep moisture from getting into wood. If you have undried wood, I'd think that moisture trying to get out would be the problem. ...just thinking out loud.

 

[goaliedad]

Interesting Jimnam- I buy the boards rough from an Amish mill- air dry it for a while, then plane it. I was looking at a spec sheet for one of the Cabot products and it stated " not to be used on wood with over 21% moisture content" Since I don't have a moisture meter I have no idea what my wood is at- but cedar does dry down pretty fast. I noticed that spec on one product, but not other Cabot stuff. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

 

[KJM]

OK, I have to admit I'm a woodie I'm also in Australia and I use Cabot's and variations thereof..

Air dried (as in not green) Cedar should be under 21%. Of course, over here there is no "Cabot's Australian Timber Oil" But there is "Oil". If this is the same stuff, it is Tung Oil based. Tung Oil gives a very durable finish, and seems to work quite well over oil/resin patches. It is pretty glossy, however. Cabots have additives to dull the finish if this offends, but the "oil" over here has a pretty dull finish. I've had great results with (various) Tung finishes ragged on and brushed on. Seems pretty versatile - spraying would be fine, but ragging it off might be needed depending on how you've cut the cedar. If you've got tangential cuts and the hard layer is sitting on the surface, the oil might tend to "sit up" and not dry real fast.

I don't use much cedar myself, but the little I've played with I've finished with Linseed oil diluted with turps. From memory (!) it would have been something like 20% V/V Linseed. This was for window frames, and we just brushed it on liberally. Dried instantly(-ish).

Take this with a grain of salt - just got off a plane!

/Kevin

 

[WayneB]

You might want to take a look at Sikkens products. Not cheap but really looks great. Sure you can find the right one for the chairs you are making.

Sikkens: Simply Beautiful Woodcare Products For Your Wood Home

Wayne

 

[Asymtave]

Can't really recommend a specific brand but in general you want to stay away from a "surface" finish AKA varnish, Polyurethane.

You want a penetrating fininsh, AKA oil.

If you want something that holds up outdoors go to the Marina. In particular buy something that is sold to be applied to Teak wood on a boat, which I think are labeled "Teak Oil" in general.

The downside of the varnish type finishes are that they will eventually peel and be next to impossible to repair/renew without sanding all the way down. Oil finishes can always be renewed by maybe a light sanding and then re-applying.

If you are really motivated take a look at: Amazon.com: Understanding Wood Finishing (American Woodworker): Books: Bob Flexner

Should be available at your library.

 

[EddieWalker]

Is the reason you want to put a finish on the chairs so that you can sell more of them? or to satisfy your client?

Just about anything you do to cedar is going to be a temporary finish when used outdoors. It's the nature of wood furniture in general. Once you, the manufacturer, of these chairs start to sell them with a finish on them, then isn't it reasonable to assume that you will warantee that finish?

I'm just thinking here, but if I bought a chair from you in the natural, unfinished state, then I would never expect you to be responsible for the finish of it, regardless of what I did to it. Wether it be paint, oil or something else. BUT, if I bought a chair from you and it has a finish on it, I'd expect that finish to last awhile. I'm not sure how long that is where I'd be satisfied, but if it faded or peeled in a year, I'd be upset. Maybe two years.

Before you start selling chairs with a finish, you might want to consider your position on standing behind that finish. Will you maintain those chairs? Will you redo the finish if it fails in a certain amount of time?

All it takes is one bad chair to ruin your reputation and lose a client.

Eddie

 

[thunderworks]

Asymtave and Eddie are both really on the right track . . . I am a furniture maker . I have occasionally made outdoor furniture using Cypress and Redwood. Asymtave is absolutely right that a varnish or poly "surface" finish would be a problem. Left outside for a as little as 6 months and the surface would start to peel and look bad. Eddie is also right from a marketing perspective. If you sell the piece finished, and it doesn't hold up as the customer expects, you've got a warranty problem. IMO, the solution is to either sell the piece unfinished, or if you are compelled to use some type of finish, I would recommend an absorbed sealer of some kind. I think Thompsons is a mediocre product and prefer Cetol. I've never used Cetol on furniture, but have used in on numerous wood decks and it absorbs nicely and doesn't leave a surface film. It does require reapplying every 2 to 3 years . . . but I think that's unavoidable.

Rick
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[duber34]

Here are a few pictures of my cedar adirondack chairs. I'm no wood expert so I didn't know that I shouldn't use Poly. They have been outside for 3 years. and still look darn good in my opinion.

Regards,
Duber