I am installing beautiful clear, vertical grain flooring on the covered front porch of my 125 year old house. I don’t want to paint it, I do want to seal all surfaces before it is installed, and I want a finish that will complement the aged look of the house. The house has been restored, leaving many of the old finishes intact. I have pretty much dismissed the idea of boiled linseed oil but am definitely wanting the soaked in oil finish, not a glossy surface coat. I don’t mind recoating every year. I’ve used modern deck sealers on other projects and find that they do not soak in enough and need recoating twice a year. Are there any marine products that would work? Any suggestions?
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In my experience marine finishes are pretty much film-forming rather than penetrating.
Here's a finish I've had lots of luck with:
1/3 BLO
1/3 pure tung oil (and I mean pure, not any sort of tung oil finish) Here's a link:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=20049&cat=1,190,42942
1/3 oil based poly (gloss, semi, or satin)
Brush a light coat on, wait 20 min, wipe all excess off. Wait 12 hrs. Repeat as many times as you like. It will build to a very nice finish.
But remember....cedar flooring!?!?!?!?!? Pretty soft stuff, even though VG. You can expect lots of "character" over the years.
Cool recipe
I should try that some time.
The OP said he is doing VG fir. A cedar floor would get shredded pretty quick.
>>>The OP said he is doing VG
>>>The OP said he is doing VG fir. A cedar floor would get shredded pretty quick.
Sorry, my alzheimers must be flaring up... don't know why I thought cedar.
But as for the finish mixture...it's a winner. Super multi-use finish. It pops the grain out nicely, then you can finish with whatever gloss/semi/satin you like. I wouldn't put a water based product over it though, unless it sat for a few months.
How would this work on clear heart redwood if it wasn't followed up with a sealing finish?
I'm replacing the redwood skirt and steps on my hot tub. I'm looking for a finish that will provide UV and mildew protection while allowing the natural beauty of the redwood to show through. So I'll be going with a clear finish. But I don't want to seal the wood with varnish. I will just reapply the oil as needed.
BTW, the hot tub gets full exposure to the weather. It's not under any cover, except the sky. ;)
>>>How would this work on
>>>How would this work on clear heart redwood if it wasn't followed up with a sealing finish?
The sealing finish would be critial. Tung oil is very susceptible to mold/mildew, at least in my climate. I made the mistake of leaving some cedar chairs outside, but under a roof, and they got all nasty.
You could use something like Minwax's Helmsman Spar Urethane or McCloskey's "Man'O War" Spar Varnish.
Stain?
I'm intrigued by this concoction. I'm also refinishing what I think is a fir porch floor - 90 years old - but I'd like to darken it a bit. Any issues with first applying a stain? I don't usually associate tung oil with stain, but I'm no expert.
Thanks.