Thread: jarrah/decking outdoor finishes???

the downside of lacquer/varnish is the risk of peeling/flaking etc later on
i would definitely use an oil. there are quite a few decking oil products on the market.
my complaint is that most of them contain some pigment which will colour your timber to some extent
but generally they dry pretty fast
many also contain fungicides which can affect people using them

there are also tung oil based products if you are going for a more green solution
it has been said that natural oils can become food for fungi etc when used outside.
i would say this is true for linseed oil, but maybe not for tung oil

my two cents

You could also look at Organoil. A company makes up oil for different purposes.

If you have not treated the furniture yet Johnnyt, consider the benefits of penetrating oils to varnishes. Whilst varnishes may last somewhat longer, they usually require sanding back to recoat as the coating will crack and peel when the softeners in the product deteriorate due to sunlight.

The pigments used in most of the natural oils are UV stable and aid in protection against the UV rays and weathering. As long as it is penetrating oil, one can generally reapply another coat quiet easily without sanding. Just apply to refresh.

Re drying, if applied correctly and not caked on as a varnish, the furniture should be able to be used the next day.

I like the comment about tung oil being a green solution Steeve.....you would be surprised at what is actually in some of the Tung oil “modified’ products. Not much Tung oil at all (as was mentioned in previous threads).

Mould and fungal spores are everywhere and with the correct conditions will grow anywhere. The biggest mistake people tend to make is to apply exterior products in winter, or when damp and the timber is not dry properly.........then it is no surprise, whether it contains linseed or other.