hi folks,
i have a question pertaining to finishing a front porch. the porch itself is 7’x28′, and constructed of teak flooring. the teak was installed new, (and unfinished) about a month ago so it has been aclimatizing. the porch is protected by an overhanging second floor of the house so it doesn’t see a whole lot of sun and not a whole lot of weather either. there is good drainage. it is located at the entry to the front door so it will see a lot of foot traffic, especially on the pathway up the steps and to the door.
ideally, it’d be great to find a finish that has a low sheen is very durable. i’ve talked to the fellow in maine who makes that european yacht varnish, (which is pretty amazing stuff, by the way), and he seems to think it would do the job. however, it is too shiny and i’m still concerned about wear. not to mention, the application and drying process with the varnish is fairly involved. the house itself is in palo alto, ca as to give you an idea what the weather conditions are like, (i’m thinking a product with uv inhibitors is necessary). my guess is that some sort of boat product is called for. does anyone out there have any suggestions, based on their experience, that i might follow up on? thank you in advance.
tom
Replies
I say use an oil or a stain type product. If you apply a varnish or similar, it will look really nice for several years but slowly degrade into a nightmare of a mess. The fact that it is covered will help, but that is still how it will end up.
thanks matt. i keep thinking an oil product like watco oil or something collects too much dirt. i hate seeing wood look dirty. i'm very curious about a product called deks-ole, or something to that effect. i remember it being a danish product, two part maybe, that people used on boats years ago when i used to work on same. what i'm really wondering in my original post is if anyone has had experience with a boat type product that would hold up really well on teak. i have the same concerns about varnish that you've mentioned.
I would use a product that Cabot has called Australian Timber Oil, it is made specifically for these types of wood. It used to be a seperate company that made it and a few years ago Cabot bought them out. I use it quite a bit and it turns out excellent.
Dek sole(sp?) is a boat product, comes in two stages. #1, is a penetrating matte finish. #2 is a high gloss brightwork finish. If you are going for the #2 finish you start with #1 first then go on to #2.
Did the whole thing on my boat a many years ago and got a finish the looked great for 2 years and then looked like sh&^. Became a fan of #1 only, excellent finish easy to renew every year.
All of that experience was on teak. Might make a difference.
There was and article in the last FWW about finishing outdoor furniture. The author recommend an two part epoxy sealer system as a primer. Looked really interesting. Will definitely try it on my next outdoor project.
I would recommend reading that article.
best of luck.
thanks for the input toolin. i'll have a look at the article as well.
thanks abm, i think i got my answer today. i went down west marine supply and the fellow working there, (who appeared to have some actual experience based knowledge), recommended a particular european varnish that is the best stuff made. it also comes in satin, which is what i'm after, and by thinning the first couple of coats you get good penetration, which is what a penetrating epoxy would do. it's a lot harder than any of the oil type finishes, has some serious uv inhibitors and won't pick up dirt the way oils do. i realize that's not as much of a problem on a boat but on a front porch/entry it's a big concern. this stuff is supposed to be extremely durable and at $45/qt it ought to be, heh, heh. maybe the high traffic area will require some touch up on a semi-annual basis, we'll see.