Albasani wrote:
I have an outside bench that needs refinishing. It is made from
redwood 2x3s with 1x2 spacers between each 2x3 over brick pedsetals. Outer
edges are covered with 1x5s to hide anchoring to the pedestals.
I live in Southern California and the location gets a fair amount of
sun but not a lot of rain. It is about 10 years old and had
polyurethane varnish finish originally.

I used a chemical striper, scrapper and sandpaper to remove all the
old finish on the parts I can reach. Sides of the 2x3s are only
about an inch apart and I can't get at them to completely remove the
old varish. There are a few rather minor blemishes in the wood and
some nail holes where nails were center punched down. I would like
to fill these with something that will look ok with the finish I use.
I've seen some discussions about using varnish, stain and oils but
don't know how practical oil is even though it seems like it would
leave a nice finish. I don't much like the opaque stains I have
seen. I think varish would last longer but is a lot of work to
refinish and I would like to avoid going through this again.
My questions a
1. Would tung oil or linseed oil be good to use for this outside
application?

Good? Not really. Satisfactory? Yes. Best is paint.

Would it protect the redwood?

From what? Sun, slightly; rain, so-so.

How often would it need to be redone?

Whenever the wood starts wetting out from rain.

2. Should I use a sealer before applying oil (if that is what I end up
using)?

No, absolutely not. Oil is meant to soak into the wood. Apply liberally,
keep surface wet, wipe off excess after a half hour or so. Be sure to get
off excess or you'll have a sticky mess. Repeat at least twice at a minimum
of 24 hour intervals.

3. Would oil (or whatever finish you think best) stay on the parts of
the bench that does not have the old varnish completely removed?

No, not if you wipe off as explained above. It would do no good even if it
stayed.

3. Would a plastic wood or some other wood filler be ok to use to
fill the nail holes?

Plastic wood isn't much good. Unless the holes are large your best bet
would probably be hard, colored wax like the "putty sticks" sold for the
purpose. Kid's crayons would work too but are too hard to rub in, need to
be softened with heat first. They can be mixed to desired color by heating
to liguid - careful, wax burns. Plain old putty (linseed oil + filler)
isn't too bad either.

All work best on holes that are smallish in diameter and relatively
deep...deep enough for a glob of whatever to have something to grab on to.

If so, should I use some stain on the filled
holes before oiling so they would not be too obvious?

If using putty, mix into the putty.

--

dadiOH
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