I have four 16x4 fir beams sticking out of the side of my house. I'm in the
process of "renewing" them, which includes cutting them back a bit. So I end
up with a new end, and I wondered what if anything I should do to seal the
end-grain other than just prime and paint. These beams are out in the sun
and rain, with nothing above them.

I'm using Abatron Liquid Wood and WoodEpox to consolidate and fill in on the
top and sides where there's some rot, so I could use Liquid Wood on the end
grain. That would put a layer of hard epoxy on the end that has soaked into
the grain a bit, and I believe make it impervious to water. And then of
course primer and paint on top of that. That might make for a very long-
lasting surface.

But I'm not sure that's the best thing to do. Maybe wood is supposed to
breathe.

Does anyone here have any experience dealing with this issue? What do you
think?