# Finish for a new cedar fence and deck with?



## hoondog70 (Feb 22, 2009)

Hi everyone,
I am in the process of replacing my old back fence with new cedar 5'x8' pre fab panels and next month I am tearing down my old deck and will be building a new one also finished in 5/4 cedar deck boards and railings etc. 
So my question is what do you recommend for a finish? 
I currently am using "Sekens Cetol SRD" on a clients deck as requested though have noticed quite a bit of wear on the finish from the last 12 months use. I have also been recommended boiled linseed oil and parafin for the fence. I would like the fence and deck to be finished in the same product so they match well. I am living on Vancouver island, so we dont get too much snow, though a lot of rain in winter.

thanks in advance for your comments and advice,

Cheers Dave.


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## jerrymayfield (Sep 25, 2004)

There are only two that I am aware of that will last without being renewed yearly. Clear paint base (no pigment) and One Time Wood a UV cured product that is very expensive.

Regards

Jerry


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

First, there is no such thing as a maintenance free exterior finish. That includes "no finish," in which case, the maintenance is replacement. As such, a good rule is "as easy as possible." Too, just because something is easy now does not mean you haven't made a lot of work for yourself later. For example, stripping a clear coat off a cedar, or redwood fence would be no fun task.

Cedar and Redwood don't care much for certain finishes. What they do get a long with is oil, the non-hardening type. It has some pluses: 1) It's less expensive than most finishes; 2) It flexes, that is, will expand and contract with temperature changes; 3) It keeps the wood resilient, so it doesn't become brittle and is less likely to break when abused (e.g., a cedar roof won't break when walked on a hot summer day, if saturated in oil); 4) If oil is occupying space in wood, there is no room left for water; 5) It penetrates wood, rather than just setting on the surface; 6) It's easy to apply (e.g., it can be applied by airless, brush, roller, or even a garden sprayer, when thinned, runs never show and new coats don't require prep), 7) It will stop rot; it is cumulative (i.e., it builds up with applications); and, it will stop cracks from forming, such as when wood dries and shrinks, and minor cracks will swell up, just like when saturated with water. 

Down sides are: 1) The first several coats will seem to not last long (see "the cumulative effect," noted above); It does not have ultraviolet protection; and, you may have to apply it more often.

If you get too much on a horizontal surface, just use a bit of [dish or laundry] detergent to wash it off. Some indicate they are worried about fire hazard. They might want to try lighting oil, then try a thin piece of dry cedar and see which starts easiest. Of course, this doesn't mean the fire hazard went away.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

Been to the island and know you are not exagerating about the rain. Of coures, with that comes long months of minimal sun. As such, you have to deal with a lot of mold and moss. Sadly, hardening oils like boiled linseed oil (treated flax seed oil) often feed the mold and moss problem. That is less of a problem with non-hardening oils. Alternatively, you can pick up an mix in a biocide to retard plant growth. I would prefer to thin the non-hardening oil, put on several coats, if not three, then apply a final coat of hardening oil. Each of these can be applied with a simple garden pump up sprayerm
providing the mix is reduced at least ten percent with paint thinner turpentine or Naphtha.

If you are aggressive early on, you can slide, somewhat in the years to come. As I noted, keep adding it, until it will not take more, they wait a week, a month, or whatever and do it again. Be generous with oil for horizontal support sections and caps If you want, rather than boiled linseed oil, you can add urethane, Just a bit, say a quart per gallon of oil, This, also, will harden, but not as much, do to the high oil content, The drying will limit loss of protective oils and will stop rain from getting in. Too, if you use an exterior poly or urethane, you'll get Ultraviolet protection to boot,


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Here in Alaska, the general consensus is that you want something that isn't "film-forming", such as an oil-beased stain. That can range from nearly clear to almost totally opaque and in all the colors of the rainbow. The oil soaks into the wood, protecting it. Yes, it will wear and will need re-staining periodically but at least it won't peel. 

Avoid anything that will peel like the plage. It takes a little work to apply fresh stain but removing a peeling finish is a nightmare. Been there, done that on my parents fence (6' high x 250 ft in length). The refinishing took a couple of evenings but the scraping took several weeks of evenings, and decks are even worse.

I don't know about elsewhere, but another consensus here is that Thompson's Water Seal is about useless. Many rent a commercial house sprayer and shoot it with an oil-base.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

*More options*

As indicated in my posts below, I'm a big fan of oils for their deep penetration potential. That's why I like to thin my first few coats.

The down side of oils is, though they penetrate, they don't tolerate wear from traffic and such.

You can always add a hardening oil to your final coat, which will help. If mold and mildew are a problem, consider just throw a quart of exterior poly or urethane (oil base, since they have to clean up with the same thinner as the oil) into three gallons of oil. Yes, they will mix. And the poly, or urethane will harden, but not nearly as much as it would if it were straight. Still, it will improve your wearability. Since its mixed with the oil, it will still soak in, so it will be less of a surface coat. The weak poly/urethane mix won't give a heavy surface coat, so won't produce the associated problems straight applications would. 

Sadly, the most durable coat is always paint, but it's draw backs are obvious.


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