Timber Window Finish

[Bin J]

Okay - finally time to put the finishes on the WR Cedar windows and doors (bi-fold & french).

Can't decide what product to use, so . . . .

[ozwinner]

What sort of finish are you after?
I would use PolyU for any exterior stuff.

Al :)

[markharrison]

Paint!!! Unless you really like oiling your windows at least every 14 months.

[RufflyRustic]

I've seen the Sikkens on a deck and windows/doors and loved it. So I finally bought some today. Unfortunately, I still can't vote until maybe Monday after I've hopefully been able to to get a couple of coats on the back screen door.

cheers
RufflyRustic

[Ashore]

Wendy , when I put in the double rear western red cedar doors doors
the advice given to me came down to two products I had used tung oil on other jobs but these doors were to get a fair bit of weather.
The products were Silkkens Cetol Filter 7 & Wattyl exterior clear
I got a litre of both and did two seperata areas , let it all dry and got shmbo to pick , she went with the wattyl , a slightly glossier finish
I have used the silkkens on some western red windows and couldn't fault either product .... so I voted other

[RufflyRustic]

Thanks Ashore - good info.

I really didn't want to paint the door in the end, and hey - why miss such a good opportunity. And the door is always completely out of the sun and the only weather that gets to it, is the fog...

cheers
Wendy

[Markw]

Doing the big reno thing at my place at the moment. I started off looking at marine finishes as they are in the worst environment and found that all clear finishes allow the sunlight through which will eventually blacken the underlying timber then the surface coating will breakdown exposing the underlying timber to damage. I spoke with a lot of so called experts, left a thread on this system, then one of the Engineers here who owns his own mega-cruiser (boat) suggested using Sikkens. I did do the sample test with sample pots of each of Feast, Intergrain and Sikkens systems in varying colours on the intended wood and the result for me was Sikkens. Used 2 coats of Cetol HLS (mahogany) followed by two coats of Cetol Filter 7 with a clear (light oak) colour. The Cetol Filter 7 will give the timber a yellow sort of colouring which then needs a deeper stain first to prevent the yellowing becoming apparent. To use mahogany on both proved too dark a result.

The great thing about the Sikkens system is that the finish is a semigloss and the grain of the timber is still there - you can feel it. With some of the other systems the grain starts to get filled in so that you may as well be using laminex on the front of your door.

Loved the look that I got with this product but you need to note that when using Sikkens it is basically a stain within a lacquering system. The darker the stain value the better the UV and sunlight prevention is and hence the longer the door will go without re-coating. By having a staining system within, it reduces the amount of penetration of light into the timber.

Personally I would have liked a clear finish (estapol sanding sealer & estapol clear gloss) on this door as it was a beautiful piece of maple but I am unwilling to sand back and recoat every 2 to 3 years. This is especially so as all the other internal timberwork in the house ie architraves, reveals for doorways and windows are all clear glossed.

Another note if using Sikkens, as this is a staining system, you need to have the item being treated fully sanded prior to starting (not like a sanding sealer) as the HLS is easy to damage with sanding. Also the Sikkens system wears off the timber as it deteriorates so that it is noticeable when its due for recoat.

Anyway this is the way I went and am very happy with the end results.:)

[BrisBen]

Inherited a BBQ from a mate who thought it was well beyond recovery, the grills he said wer all rusted and the timber shot

Seems he used a lot of marianades when cooking and a carbon layer that seemed like rust built up on the grill and looked like rust - Stiff wire brush - first problem solved

Then the timber

Grey, dead, lifeless, possibly Jarrah I thought. Down to 80 grit and the red appeared, 180 grit the grain appeared, 320 grit, the beauty appeared (I had to dissasemble the trolley but hey it was free!)

Four coats of sikkens HLS pine (I thought it had the least influence on the natural timber colour) and the boy's are asking "when didya get the new barbie mate?"

Must add wasn't sure if the slats nearest the heat source would do that well but 5 test matches, Christmas and boxing day, a number of One Day Internationals later it's looking fine - can't wait for the Super 14 to start!

Oh and it gets peed on by possums nightly

[Shedhand]

It wasn't a window or door but I used Feast Watson UV Spar Varnish on a King Billy Pine letterbox I made recently. Sanded to 6 or 800 (can't remember exactly) then 4 coats of the FW. It looks brilliant and the high gloss finish really accentuated the beautiful grain.
Check it out here -->> http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=27722
Cheers