Thread: Stop external jarrah from fading (greying)

TA, you need a UV resistant finish. Sikkens Cetol HLSe and OSMO are two which come to mind. The finish needs to be re-applied every year. The WA sun is fierce!

Regards from Perth

Derek

How to stop jarrah in the sun from going grey and how to stop the boulder from rolling down the hill, it is a fait complete. As suggested reapply regularly often more than yearly, my oiled deck at home used to get a coat whenever the rain did not bead on the surface. Then I missed a coat one year and now it gets a yearly (or not) coat as we have become accustomed to the greying.
cheers

Originally Posted by Tech-Art

In the first post, it's mentioned to use West Systems epoxy and marine varnish. Is there agreement for this and how long would it last?

Absolutely not. I'm assuming it's exposed to the weather? If so, any film-type finish that sits on the surface WILL lift off eventually. Then it's an absolute nightmare to rejuvenate. You can't stop timber fading in the sun. A penetrating oil finish with a tint is the only answer IMO. Reapply anually. Experiment with the colour. I used a jarrah tinted decking oil once and it was bright orange. Oil is cheap, easy to apply and requires little preparation.

Save yourself a lot of expense and unecessary work and avoid film finishes on patios/decks.

BTW, have you priced West Systems epoxy?

OK thanks for all the responses.
Is there a particular oil brand that you recommend, if I wanted to see the natural grain in the jarrah? Or is this not possible.
Are there pictures online which show how it will look after 6-12 months?

Also what if we decide to paint if the grey is not appealing, will the oil affect this?

Have you read my post????

Regards from Perth

Derek

Sorry Derek I didn't look into the products since when I read "UV resistance", for some reason when I read it thought it was an epoxy product.
It looks like the first product is oil based and the second is natural oil and wax.
Will look into it further, have you seen any example photos of how the jarrah timber would look after several years, with re-coat every 6-12 months?

TA, the only way to ensure that Jarrah does not turn grey is to stain it Jarrah before oiling it. The oil is UV-resistant, but not to the WA sun. It will require regular coating of UV-resistant oil.

Regards from Perth

Derek

OK thanks, I also remember reading below comment.
It's quite difficult to know what to do.

Protecting Jarrah
Sorry to be pessimistic but this question has been asked here hundreds of times and to me personally at work and from friends etc dozens of times. It does not matter what you uses as a finish as soon as it is outside it will be subject to reflected UV and this will fade the colour out of the wood and eventually it will go dull and if left untreated it will go grey. Using oils or waxes outside will also attract dust and dirt and it will become grubby. Short of using a quality industrial strength marine grade two pack epoxy or urethane finish and sanding resealing it every few years it will go dull and grey and believe me after doing this a couple of times you will learn to love the grey. A better form of protection is to use a light proof cover but that too is a PITA as things will inhabit the cosy little environment that covers provide and you will need to clean the table every time you remove the cover so once again the grey will start to look good. My advice is not to spend a lot of time on it and learn to live with the grey.

Thanks to all for responses.

Just re-posting to see if there were any more experiences with type of coating applied and how the jarrah responded over a long period of time.

I used the Cabot's Jarrah tinted oil based deck oil on my jarrah outdoor table. I apply a light recoat every few weeks to freshen it up and so far it has been the best solution after trying exterior poly, and untinted oil with poor results. The table is basically exposed to full sun and rain. I expect it will need a sand and refinish every year or so.

I use the Cabots decking oil on my merbau outdoor tables. No need to sand. Just give them a scrub with no-name brand napisan and blast the crud off with a Karcher.

OK thanks.

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

I used the Cabot's Jarrah tinted oil based deck oil on my jarrah outdoor table. I apply a light recoat every few weeks to freshen it up and so far it has been the best solution after trying exterior poly, and untinted oil with poor results. The table is basically exposed to full sun and rain. I expect it will need a sand and refinish every year or so.

I must be a spoilt millennial the idea of re-coating a table every few weeks gave me the shivers.

The joys of exterior wood maintenance…..

We use Cutek CD50 with the Autumn tone tint. After the first year or two of about 6 monthly coating we now get 1-2 years. It all depends on my aesthetic versus energy balance! It will grey to a degree but the tint mostly compensates and the grain remains clear. We do need to scrub back with napisan every few years as the tint does build up overtime and sit on the surface of the wood.

Here is a photo of a north facing gate that was oiled 12 months ago (vertical surface last much longer than horizontal). I would show the deck but it is way overdue.IMG_1591.jpg