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Exterior finish for cedar decking

dh_landry | Posted in General Discussion on September 4, 2019 10:53pm

I am replacing my wooden bulkhead door using the FHB article below. My house is in Connecticut and the bulkhead is on the south side of the house.

https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2005/09/01/better-looking-bulkhead-doors

The doors, trim, and siding are all going to be cedar. Originally I was going to follow the article’s suggestion and finish the new bulkhead with exterior acrylic paint. But now the wife wants me to use with a weatherproof sealer of some kind so the pretty cedar isn’t hidden. A penetrating oil finish sounds like an easy way to go, but I am not crazy about having to redo it frequently. I have used Spar varnish on a door threshold which came out great, but it took multiple coats to really look good and wasn’t cheap even for a quart or varnish.

Does anyone have a suggestion that falls somewhere between the two? Easy to apply, looks great, and will hold up for a decent amount of time.

Thanks, Dave L.

Reply

Replies

  1. suburbanguy | Sep 05, 2019 01:27am | #1

    Use one of the good transparent/semi-transparent deck stains. I use a very good one that is only available here in Canada, so really can't help you there. I don't have any experience with Sikens, but by all reports it's very good. Not cheap though. ...but you will have to apply several coats to begin with and an additional coat maybe every other year???

  2. User avater
    sawdust_steve | Sep 05, 2019 09:32am | #2

    Be very weary of spar varnish it will look great at first though it may require as many as seven coats but any cracking or chipping and you will have to strip the whole assembly down to bare wood to refinish it.

    Sikkens makes a great product that can be overcoated without stripping but the natural wood finish that you really like will be lost somewhat.
    Since you built a wooden bulkhead you are going to have regular maintenance.

  3. fsmyles | Sep 08, 2019 12:19am | #3

    Yearly application of Penofin Marine Oil.

    Cleaner first - if color is lost during the year. Wolman® Deck & Fence Brightener Wood Cleaner & Coating Prep.

    Doesn't get easier and looks like there's nothing on the wood.

    Frankie

  4. suburbanguy | Sep 08, 2019 05:15am | #4

    I checked out Penofin myself. A dizzying array of products.

    https://www.deckstainhelp.com/penofin-ultra-red-label-wood-stain-review-2014/

    After reading the professional review of the "Ultra Red Label" line and the comments by other users, I'd strongly advise the OP to carefully consider the experience of others before using.

  5. DanH | Sep 08, 2019 01:39pm | #5

    You might want to consider Sikkens brand semi-transparent stain. I've had good luck with it on redwood.

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