Jarrah windowsills

[Stu]

We have some jarrah windowsills in dire need of attention. They range in condition from having no varnish/polyurethane (well weathered) to in good condition.
What would you reccomend using on them?? Some of the sills are just above floor height and tend to get a bit of a hammering from small feet as well as the sun so would need to be very hard wearing. Any advice about brands etc would be very much appreciated as well as any good places to buy the products and a quality brush in Perth
Thanks

[JB]

Any polyurethane/varnish/estapol type finish that sits on the surface is a waste of time for timber outdoors. It will start to lift off within a few months. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

A natural oil such as llinseed or tung oil is absorbed into the wood and as such wont llift off. However, due to the low surface build up, protection is minimal unless refinishing is done at least twice a year.

Decking oils or outdoor furniture oils (much the same thing I believe though the latter cost more) are the go. Manufacturers such as Cabots and Feast Watson all have versions. These are a mixture of oils and resins that soak into the wood and also provide some build up on the surface. They are esily maintained requiring just a clean and maybe a light sand followed by repeat applications. Every couple of years should be enough.

An excellent product of this type is Sikkens Cetol HLS. It's more expensive but has good surface build up and is very hard. Several of the large hardware stores should stock it.

[vsquizz]

Stu, have a look here;

http://woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=11014&page=3&highlight=Tung+oil

There is actually a pic in the thread somewhere of my window sill.

Cheers