sealer for cedar furniture

[goaliedad]

Thanks for the input guys- Asymtave- I agree that oil based is the best option. Eddie- good points about the warranty. If I do this, I am going to provide a "disclaimer" about wood and finishs. Also, I will give the details about the product used and a "reccommended" schedule, etc. In our area these chairs can see everything from snow and ice ( if left outside year round ) and 90 plus degrees in very high humidity- a very tough environment for outside wood.
As I am now selling in a more upscale resort community- lots of second homes, I was thinking that alot of these people want everything done for them, and I can make a few more bucks per chair. I much prefer to sell them untreated.
For what it's worth you can veiw some of my work at
goaliedad_photos - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

 

[regor66]

This past Saturday I watched Norm Abram build an outdoor bench/table from cypress wood. It's a very durable outdoor wood like cedar. He finished the wood with a mixture of linseed oil, neatsfoot oil and a third component that I didn't catch. This struck a note with me because my dad used linseed and neatsfoor on the wooden beds of his Chevy trucks when I was a kid. Never saw one rotted out like most of them did that went untreated. Not much shine to this method but the beauty of the wood was preserved on Norm's project. Plus it could be reapplied by whomever bought the furniture without all the mess of shellac, etc.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Go to Woodworking Information at WOODWEB. This site has many forums and the people on them are quite knowledgeable. I think you should be able to get some good feedback on that site.

 

[PILOON]

I have tried Cetol on cedar and very much like Varathanes it wants to flake.

Biggest problem is cedar is very pourous and the slightest nick or break in the finish shin will allow water to be absorbed and hence the flaking.

Also the softest of woods hence the easiest to nick or chip, and then the flaking follows

I think marine spar varnishes might be the answer.
I always had good results on my cedar strip canoe.

The 'primer' would be diluted spar varnish followed by a couple of coats of undiluted spar varnish.

Spar has UV blockers and is formulated for wet environments

Linseed oil type finishes will end up going grey to black from moulds getting in the pores. Seikens also can suffer that problem.

Reason I can say all this is that I have a log cabin, my home is pine sides and I have aderondac chairs as well as a cedar canoe.
(and sanded, scraped, sand blasted all of the above)

I also have contract re finished cedar decks more than a few times.
I did find CETAL 1 far superior than the cetal-deck for cedar mainly due to the softness of the wood.
I rolled it on on a hot DRY day and it would penetrate so much that often 3 coats were required.
Even then a reapplication was needed every 3 years otherwise the wood would start to blacken in shady areas.