Hi,

First time poster been viewing the forums for a while now though.

I'm in the process of building a low level deck around my pool and front yard. I'm hoping to obtain a nice timber slab to use as a bar/beer table, however doing research on here has got me worried about what wood to choose, and whether I even have a hope in hell of it staying in a semi-reasonable condition . It will be outside in semi-sun conditions (under a palm tree), also a lot of salt in the air due to being on the waterfront.

I was hoping to get a nice redwood piece but would have no idea what too look for in terms of drying time, thickness and prep/oiling? Any help is much appreciated and I will be sure to upload photos of the finished project.

Hi 4T
There are timbers like Red Gum etc that will happily live outside but its a bit like owning a wooden boat, a lot of maintenance. If its in full weather and you use a varnish/polyurethane etc you would most likely need to give it a sand and another coat every 3 - 6 months. If its oiled (like deck oil) you should probably still do it every 3- 6 as well if you want to keep it looking sweet. This varies on how hot, how much humidity, rain etc etc but basicly like keeping a boat. Personaly outside I like to let nature take its course and happy to see things go silver/grey.

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www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au

A good edge takes a little sweat!!

I agree with Claw on this. Almost every week on here someone asks about finishes for outside woodwork. There is no ultimate outside wood finish that lasts. Deck oil is perhaps the best of the bunch but it needs regular attention. Oils are the easiest touch up later. Otherwise save yourself the constant up hill struggle. If it lives outside let it weather and look like it lives outside.
Regards
John

It depends what you mean by a semi-reasonable condition. If you want it to retain its colour then you have no chance. Indirect UV will penetrate any clear or translucent finish and eventually bleach the colour out of it no matter what you do. Texture wise if any water sits on it, together with UV damage will cause cracks and it will roughen it up. If you are prepared to accept a bleached look you would have to resurface it about every second year to keep it smooth. Keeping a cover on it when not in use will lengthen all these times.

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Check out my blog entries for forum links to most of my 2006 - 2011 projects.

Claw,

Thanks for that, from the reading I have done so far, and from both your and orraloons input below, decking oil would definitely seem to be the way to go. Would oil used for decking boards be suitable, I presume it will make the piece darker but would also add UV resistance if put on quite thick?


Cheers Bob,

Semi-Reasonable by my standards is good enough to drink off, so nothing amazing judging by past occurrences I would definitely like to keep some colour in it though, and a smooth finish.

Maybe I'd be better off fibreglassing the whole thing with clear resin??

Personally I think glassed stuff looks awful. It's more work and it won't stop it losing colour in the long run. Neither will oiling it.

__________________
Check out my blog entries for forum links to most of my 2006 - 2011 projects.

Cheers for that Bob, Will update this post with photos when I buy the redgum.

Shame I'm not camphor laurel's greatest fan...I've got 2 trees in my backyard that would have to be 30+m high and 4m in diameter that would make sourcing wood a lot easier

This is a drinking table, after 2am any wood looks good.

Hi 404,
Bit of a late response, but I think I'm in a good position to provide feedback. I've got exactly what you're talking about - a redgum slab about 10cm thick that extends my kitchen out onto the deck. (It's not the best photo to show it as the umbrella is sort of in the way, but you get the idea ).

The edge is just rough finished, but the top and bottom were coated with about 5 coats of 2-pack clear. That lasted 12 months before the 2-pack started peeling off, and a few weeks of wet weather had the slab bowing upwards, causing any further rain to pool back under the window, and stopping the bifold window from opening.

(What seemed to happen is that moisture seeped all the way through to the bottom, and then after a couple of weeks of hot weather, the top half of the slab dried and contracts, but the bottom half kept the moisture)

Originally, the slab was just glued onto the brackets (redgum off the same slab). After the bowing started, I sent two long countersunk carriage bolts through the top and into the brackets, plus heavy duty steel brackets on the underside. I then put a couple of towels on the bar, and kept them saturated for about a two week period, tightening down the bolts until it was back flat again.

I've now sanded off all the poly coat off the top, and oil it fairly every 3-6 months using Deks Olje.