Thread: outdoor finishing WIP

Hi guys,

Over the last few months I've been trying to find the perfect outdoor finish for furniture, and I think i'm narrowing it down.

My criteria is for reasonable longevity, easy maintenance (for example ragging over a finish every 6 months is easy maintenance in my opinion, compared to varnishing and having to strip/recoat completely every 12-24 months) and most importantly good looks

my criteria for good looks requires the natural grain to be very visible, no sickly/fake looking pigments, etc, and this is a very subjective one but i like a nice satin sheen.

after some advice from a member on here i have arrived at a simple homebrew of boiled linseed oil and exterior poly, half and half, applied like any off the shelf danish oil (ragged on, wiped off after 10-30 mins, repeat)

application is very easy and the results look awesome so far. I have done a few small pieces of redgum as testers, and it really brings out the natural colour and grain and gives a very smooth and even satin sheen.

What i'm going to do is leave my test pieces out in the sun and elements and periodically check how they are going, posting the results on here.

I have tried a lot of different oils and products over the last few months to try and get the look i want, and nothing has come close to this mix. so it's down to the longevity and suitability for outdoors as the final hurdle.

I will post some pics once the last coat is dry of what the pieces look like now, and i'll dig this thread up in a few months time when they've had some time in the sun.