Proper finish for a lawn glider

[PastorPaul]

We have a lawn glider with metal frame and wooden slats. Every year or two we have used water sealer (Thompson's or similar), but it doesn't seem to be doing the job and there is mold or mildew on the wood.

Now that we are in the new house, the glider sits on the front porch, instead of in the middle of the back yard. I am going to give the slats a once over with my ROS, then refinish them. Should I go the water sealer route again, use polyurethane, a marine varnish, or some other finish?

Pastor Paul
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[TDHofstetter]

AFAIC, Thompson's Water Seal is just a sneaky way of getting those green pieces of paper out of your wallet and into somebody else's. Never liked it at all.

I'd be inclined, I think, to remove all the slats, hit them with a good coat or three of BLO, and finish that over with marine varnish after the BLO has cured completely. I doubt the wood will ever be more watersealed than that unless you embed it in epoxy.

-- Tim --


You can always take one more step against the wind.

[PastorPaul]

Tim,

I've never used BLO, but do have a slight memory of it being discussed in high school wood shop. How long does it take to cure BLO before I can use the marine varnish?

BTW - If the BLO has to be cured, is there a danger it can infect my wood? :P

Pastor Paul
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[rburkett1]

Don't know much about it, but this weekend I saw in the local HD, a Danish MARINE oil. Did a quick scan of the label and it says it was good to use on boats. Sounds like that'd be waterproof.

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[T_Connor]

I've been advised by an experienced carpenter friend that the CWF (clear wood finish) available at most box stores is light years better than Thompson's. I used it on our pergola gate several years ago and I am quite pleased with the appearance and watershedding ability.

Tim

[Danford C Jennings]

Paul,

Unless you are trying to "pop" the grain, boiled linseed oil really doesn't offer any further protection or sealing characteristics. FWIW, my recommendation would to use a marine exterior grade spar varnish or spar urethane, Interlux and Epifanes would be what I'd suggest.

Dano

[PastorPaul]

Dano,

Sounds simplier, too! This is one project I want to get done soon, so my sweetie and I can sit on the front porch and watch the world go by. We used to go to a local ice cream shop called Ruby's, get a couple of shakes, then head home to sit on the glider and enjoy. Now we live further away, and I can't drive. Have to find an alternate idea.

Pastor Paul
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[TDHofstetter]

You should let it cure for a good 24 to 48 hours - you can speed up the process a little by heating, but unless you have a sunny room that isn't going to be much of an option.

Uh, by the way - BLO is a hardening oil that, after fully saturating the surface and oxidizing hard, will rather effectively serve as a moisture barrier. I wouldn't use it as my only line of defense (hence the marine varnish overcoat), but it DOES add a fair amount of extra insurance that your glider will look good for many long years to come.

-- Tim --


You can always take one more step against the wind.

[Danford C Jennings]

Tim,

...BLO is a hardening oil that, after fully saturating the surface and oxidizing hard, will rather effectively serve as a moisture barrier.

I confess; this is the first time I've ever "heard" that...makes me wonder why wooden boat builders/restoreres don't include it as part of their finishing schedules...

Dano

[TDHofstetter]

, which dries much slower than the "boiled") linseed oil is cited as the single best sealant for wood surfaces exposed to the weather... where stickiness on those surfaces isn't objectionable during the cure.

I've used it myself with really great results.

Come to think of it, all traditional oil-based house paint owes its weathersealing properties to linseed oil.

Marine paint, too. :)

The pigment in that paint is just... pigment.

I edit in: As an undercoat, the BLO should ideally be thinned somewhat so that it can soak deeper into the wood before setting up.

-- Tim --


You can always take one more step against the wind.

[Danford C Jennings]

Ahh, the qualifier being "raw" linseed oil....

Dano

[PastorPaul]

And the question is: Do you buy raw linseed oil and boil it, or is it sold as boiled linseed oil? Like I said, high school wood shop was the last time I heard about the stuff and that was 34 years ago.

Pastor Paul
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[Danford C Jennings]

Paul,

It can be purchased both ways, though "boiled" is more readily available...

Edit: I've done a little more research on this, Paul. One suggestion is to go [link:www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/ChoosingFinish.htm|here] and bump around a tad...It's interesting to note that he says that raw linseed oil should not be used on wood.

I've also looked at the cans of spar varnishes that I have and they all recommend that the surface to be varnished be free from dirt, oil, and "other contaminates". Oils can cause adhesion problems as well as "fish eye".

While Tim is correct that oil based paints do contain linseed oil, they also contain other additives besides pigments. I'll also state that I've used boiled linseed oil as a finish and to "pop" the grain. In the latter case, I've used film finishes over it such as spar varnish and have not experienced any problems with fisheye or adhesion. But, these have been interior pieces not subject to the harsh outdoor environment.

I also dug out a couple of books on boatbuilding, one going back to 1941...While linseed oil was (is) used in marine applications, it's used with a mix of White Lead as a primer coat for the canvas on canoes, dinghys, double planked hull bottoms, and decks. The ratio being around 6lbs of White Lead to 1 qt of boiled linseed oil. This as it applies to "traditional" boatbuilding. While White Lead is nearly impossible to find nowdays, there are "leaded" paints used in boatbuilding, usually referred to as "red lead" which is used on the faying surfaces of framing members...

I will confess that Tim's suggestion has triggered my curiosity enough where I will try this method out as a test. But, for now, I wouldn't recommend it mainly because I've never heard of this approach until now. But, that's just my personal opinion...

Usually what is done when a deeper penetration is desired for a varnish is to thin the first coat by 50%, then apply the top coats full strength. FWIW.

Dano

[Danial]

I followed Dano's advise on the Spar Varnish a few months ago when I was finishing my new front door. Perfect advise. More than one neighbore has commented on how nice the door looks. Water rolls right off the surface. I have plans to use Spar Varnish on a number of other outdoor projects. I'm sold.

Tim's addition of the BLO, interesting. I'll have to play with that one. If it "POPS" the grain, hhmm, extra protection and enhanced grain. Sounds like just what the Doctor ordered.

Good Luck
Dan

[PastorPaul]

After taking the winter cover off the glider, I discovered the wood in worse shape than I remembered. The obvious solution was to just replace all the wood. Then I realized that it will be weeks, if not months, before I can get the garage wired for 220v and get the table saw running. Maybe sanding and refinishing will have to do for this year.

Pastor Paul
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