What is the best to finish Cedar(old piece of fencing)to make it last outdoors but still keep the rough look and old look. dont want to change color, want it natural.
Polyurethane?
Thanks for the help.
Tom h
My cedar is untreated and lasts ok on it’s own. It does turn silver grey.
If there is any treatment I’d consider it might be Thompson’s Water seal, depending on your climate…
Polyurethane is more likely to fail first.
John
Tom, for what it’s worth, my experience with polyurethane outdoors is that it will soon crack and peel and look very bad. Water seal if you have to, but I wouldn’t use any varnishes.
I dip all of my cedar wood components in Olympic clear wood sealer and allow them to dry before assembly. It does not change the color or texture of the wood, but provides a bit of protection from the wet conditions. The cedar still weathers to a natural silver-gray color after about a year or two outside.
Here are a couple of videos that show what the wood on my trestles and ties looks like after being treated with the WaterGuard product.
http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/20499/building-wooden-trestles
http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/20490/building-red-rock-canyon
Bob