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White oak, how to keep its beauty outdoors?

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allen levine

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First, Id like to say hi to everyone, Im new.
I just got invovled in woodworking less than 2 years ago, mainly sticking to outdoor projects.
Im very impressed with some of the threads Ive read here and feel way out of my league, but everyone starts somewhere.

I recently was at a garage sale, and saw two adirondack chairs that were weathered grey, but seemed to be in fine condition.
I purchased them for 25 dollars each since it was white oak, and on Long Island, the price is outrageous.
I bought them with the intention of taking them apart, using the parts and recutting them a bit so there was more style and curves in the chair, making a bit more comfortable, this one was all straight cuts and rather stiff looking.
I only cracked one piece taking it apart,(one chair) and I sanded every part,(thought about planing them, ), restored or brought the wood grain back to life in about 90% of the wood, still some grey areas, but hardly noticable, now my question is how do I treat white oak to keep that beautiful look and keep it oudoors year round? Is there any way to preserve the look of the natural wood without it turning grey?
 
allen levine said:
...my question is how do I treat white oak to keep that beautiful look and keep it oudoors year round? Is there any way to preserve the look of the natural wood without it turning grey?
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Well,,, It'll require frequent attention, but it can be done. You'll need to apply a weather resistant finish with UV protectants in it. One of the best one would be a good quality spar varnish. Several manufacturers make good ones - Minwax, McCloskeys, etc., but the really best ones will be sold through boat yards and chandleries.

You might want to take a look at Jamestown Distributors website. They have some really good 'brightwork' finishes available. Be prepared for 'sticker shock' though. Some of those marine-grade finishes can get pretty pricey.

Whatever finish you use - regardless of price - will likely require at least annual redoing - and maybe even more often than that. The sun and rain can be pretty brutal to any wood finish.
 
allen levine said:
First, Id like to say hi to everyone, Im new.
I just got invovled in woodworking less than 2 years ago, mainly sticking to outdoor projects.
Im very impressed with some of the threads Ive read here and feel way out of my league, but everyone starts somewhere. "This League is your league, and the only people not in it are those that don't get involved.":rolleyes:

I recently was at a garage sale, and saw two adirondack chairs that were weathered grey, but seemed to be in fine condition.
I purchased them for 25 dollars each since it was white oak, and on Long Island, the price is outrageous. (sounds like you made out like a bandiit on that purchase :D) I bought them with the intention of taking them apart, using the parts and recutting them a bit so there was more style and curves in the chair, making a bit more comfortable, this one was all straight cuts and rather stiff looking.
I only cracked one piece taking it apart,(one chair) and I sanded every part,(thought about planing them, ), restored or brought the wood grain back to life in about 90% of the wood, still some grey areas, but hardly noticable, ( is there a chance you have a photo we might see, this is an interesting project with a "before" and "after":dunno:.) now my question is how do I treat white oak to keep that beautiful look and keep it oudoors year round? Is there any way to preserve the look of the natural wood without it turning grey?
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Hi Allen :wave:,
My pleasure to welcome you to the "league of woodworking and wood enjoyeers", and also to Familywoodworking.:thumb: As far as preserving the beauty outside, advise will have to come from someone else, but that white oak is one of my favorites too.
Glad to have you!
Shaz:)
 
Jim nailed it!! I have piddled around old wood boats for years and there is nothing better than Marine Varnish, commonly called Spar Varnish. But if it sits in the sun, as Jim said it will typically need recoating every year.

I ever agree with Jim on Jamestown. Dealt with them several times over the years.
 
thanx, I live on the south shore of Long Island, and there are tons of marinas and boat shops within 10 minutes of my house.
Im not that worried about the price, I just want to keep these two chairs looking good.
When I approached a local paint store, a large store, he just suggested putting the deck waterproofing on. Said not much will keep the wood from weathiering if its left outdoors.

When my son gets home, Ill have him show me how to upload a picture, I only did one chair, so I have the wood discolored from the other one.

I have a can of spar urethane that I used on my Tiki bar, but the wood has faded also after one season, and I put 5 coats of it on it.
 
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I caught some kind of bug and was sick yesterday, and my son wanted 2 chairs I made for his friend, so he asked me if he should clear coat them with thompsons deck, and I told him sure if he wanted them for this weekend.

what I didnt know is that he did the white oak chair also, so it has a coat, but Im still going to varnish with marine varnish when I feel a bit better.
(Im giong to use it on my tiki bar also)

I think in the pic the chair has a slight grey hue to it, but when you look at it, it looks fine, thats the pile of wood of the other chair, I wont have enough to cut and shape the way I want, so Im going to have to buy 2 feet of white oak to fix it up.

the second chair, was actually covered in this guys backyard, and the wood seems much cleaner, the undersides are are beautiful. Makes life a bit easier.
 

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this will give anyone else the level Im at right now, I made these few items last year, got a steal on redwood 1x6, and the other table is red cedar.
I copy designs, alter the plans a bit, ofcourse, the chairs are my own design, hey, dont laugh, but with a cushion , they work fine.
The tiki bar I have a sheet of oak plywood for the bartop, stupid mistake, but I had it laying around, so it needs to be resanded and varnished.
 

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allen levine said:
I went over to a local marina, the only brand they sold was Epifanes.So I picked up a quart. 32.00 bucks. (now thats pricey)
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Yeah, I told you it'd be pricey at a chandlery. :rolleyes:

Epifanes is one of the best, mot durable brands on the market, though (IMO). Even so, like I said before, be prepared to redo it this Fall - and every Fall thereafter...
 
pricey yes, but its advice I didnt get anywhere.
and I appreciate it.

I looked around this site, and its quite obvious to me Im about a 5 year old kid playing wiffle ball around the New York Yankees.
I didnt realize just how talented people were here till I saw some of the projects and shops.
I think the only thing I share,(if anything) is that I like working with wood.
I dont mind putting in time, effort, even if my projects are baby stuff compared to the pros here.
Im in awe of some of the woodworking Ive seen here.
Again, thanks for the tip.
 
allen levine said:
pricey yes, but its advice I didnt get anywhere.
and I appreciate it.

I looked around this site, and its quite obvious to me Im about a 5 year old kid playing wiffle ball around the New York Yankees.
I didnt realize just how talented people were here till I saw some of the projects and shops.
I think the only thing I share,(if anything) is that I like working with wood.
I dont mind putting in time, effort, even if my projects are baby stuff compared to the pros here.
Im in awe of some of the woodworking Ive seen here.
Again, thanks for the tip.
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Hi Allen,

Well, look at it this way... you could be the bat girl chasing after the wiffle balls, like me. ;)

Seriously. People on this forum are friendly and helpful. Think of what they're doing as inspiration and as your goal. Ask lots of questions. One of the members PM'd me with a very wise message that we all start out as beginners, and he was right. I'm boggled by their creations as well... amazing stuff.

As for me, I do some carving and small projects, don't have a "shop", but I do have some tools I drag out and play with when I can. What all we do have in common is we love working with wood, so you are in good company.

Be brave!

--MJ :)
 
if any of you read this, since its also bout refinishing some outdoor woods:
Ive noticed the red cedar stood up much better than the redwood I used.
The redwood faded quickly and I have alot of cracks and splits.
Ill replace the few that cracked, and Im wondering if I can use spar varnish on both of these woods? (I coated them with thompsons, red cedar looks great still)
 
allen levine said:
if any of you read this, since its also bout refinishing some outdoor woods:
Ive noticed the red cedar stood up much better than the redwood I used.
The redwood faded quickly and I have alot of cracks and splits.
Ill replace the few that cracked, and Im wondering if I can use spar varnish on both of these woods? (I coated them with thompsons, red cedar looks great still)
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Sometimes the resins in cedar react with varnis to prevent its curing/hardening. You might try a test piece first.

The redwood ought to finish up nicely with varnish. Gonna use that expensive Epifanes?
 
MJ Isles said:
Seriously. People on this forum are friendly and helpful. Think of what they're doing as inspiration and as your goal. Ask lots of questions. One of the members PM'd me with a very wise message that we all start out as beginners, and he was right. I'm boggled by their creations as well... amazing stuff.


--MJ :)
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this post has nothin` at all to do with finishin` oak:eek:

all of us are learning! that`s the beauty......and bane, of woodworking...you can start in the trade/craft as a young person and apply yourself fully for your entire life and there will still be things you want to learn when you`re too old to cut boards anymore.
i`ve yet to meet a woodworker with passion for the trade who won`t share....
 
the thomspsons deck waterproofing, seems to be actually peeling off the cedar. Like an animal shedding skin, I was looking at it today.
I have to get something that will protect the wood outdoors.
Im going to test with spar varnish on the underside a bit, see if stays fine.
 
Jim DeLaney said:
Sometimes the resins in cedar react with varnis to prevent its curing/hardening. You might try a test piece first.

The redwood ought to finish up nicely with varnish. Gonna use that expensive Epifanes?
Click to expand...


Jim, I ran out of epifanes after a second coat, and have so much spar urethane so Ill finish with a few coats of that.
the finish came out beautiful, the color jumped out of the red cedar.
now the problem is the chairs look so old and worn, I guess Ill be resanding everything, but the 2x4s used for those box chairs are not the same grade as the clear cedar planking. The stuff is beautiful. The 2x4's were only available in one grade, looks like a typical construction grade, Im not sure how they rate cedar in 2x4's
It will give me reason to disassemble the chairs and start over and make a better design, not so square looking.
still drying, but its easy to see the beauty of this wood.
 

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