On Saturday, August 4, 2018 at 2:29:52 PM UTC-7, MOP CAP wrote:
I put a new top [pink wood or what is now called redwood] on an outside table.
It is now starting to check. I wood like to put some type of finish on


Stain is the obvious choice (something with UV inhibitors, and
'redwood' color, would be suitable). You probably don't want paint,
a nonporous layer of paint will just blister when the wood (inevitably)
gets wet, assuming it bonds to the wood at all.

I like to wire-brush exterior wood before staining; it makes the debris move
out of the grain. A vacuum would pull any loose material from the checked
regions.