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First Outdoor Piece

898 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Snipes, Oct 31, 2016

swilly

Discussion Starter · Oct 31, 2016 (Edited by Moderator)

Good morning!

I'm relatively new to the woodworking world, mainly building simple furniture for myself and close friends. But I am always looking to learn and get better, so I thought I would join the forum. Finishing has proven to be my biggest struggle.

I decided to build a set of Adirondack chairs for my backyard. I stained the chairs they desired color and slapped a coat of polyacrylic on it without thinking. I have since read that polyacrylic will not be good in outdoor applications. It will turn cloudy and lose adhesion. Can I lightly sand this coat of poly acrylic, and put a clear water sealant over it? Is there a clear outdoor water sealant with a matte finish?

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Snipes

· #2 · Oct 31, 2016

Enjoy your chairs until it comes off.

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johnstoneb

· #3 · Oct 31, 2016

x1 snipes. Enjoy them then when finish colors or lifts sand down and try another. Outdoor projects are extremely difficult to finish. The sun is hard on any finish you use.

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swilly

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 31, 2016

Thanks for the responses.

Luckily, I only put polycrylic on one chair before I thought better of it. What would your recommendation (product) be for the others at this point? And should I go ahead and scuff up the polycrylic and use this product over it on the one chair?

Thanks again!

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Carloz

· #5 · Oct 31, 2016 (Edited by Moderator)

Spar varnish is usually go to finish for outdoor furniture. If you leave in coastal areas look at some boat supply places what they can suggest. Their stuff is more expensive but of very high quality.

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HerbC

· #6 · Oct 31, 2016

ANY film finish, including spar varnish will fail (fairly quickly) if exposed to outdoor environment. Penetrating oil finishes will last longer but will require regular maintenance but at least they don't fail by peeling off the surface like varnishes.

Paint is one of the most durable finishes and protects the wood. And you can use any colors you like…

Good luck!

Be Careful!

Herb

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Snipes

· #7 · Oct 31, 2016

personally I would not use a varnish at all. Either let it weather or siding type finish(sikkens for example).

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