My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal etc,
but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks very hard
in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid of; and just
peels off in other places.

Many years ago I'm seem to remember varnish just somehow gracefully 'faded'
and you just gave a quick smooth down and could re-apply new varnish.

Is there any varnish that you would recommend that is better behaved in that
it doesn't peel off in patches, or might it be a good idea to just rub some
oil of some kind into the wood?

Dave West wrote:
My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal etc,
but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks very hard
in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid of; and just
peels off in other places.

Many years ago I'm seem to remember varnish just somehow gracefully 'faded'
and you just gave a quick smooth down and could re-apply new varnish.

Is there any varnish that you would recommend that is better behaved in that
it doesn't peel off in patches, or might it be a good idea to just rub some
oil of some kind into the wood?


Danish oil forms less of a skin and so less peeling problems but you
will have to endure the pain of rubbing down one more time before
putting it on.

Normally cedar is left in its natural state to go silver grey and does
not need protection from the elements.

On 23/02/2013 09:50, Bob Minchin wrote:
Dave West wrote:
My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal
etc,
but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks very
hard
in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid of; and just
peels off in other places.

Many years ago I'm seem to remember varnish just somehow gracefully
'faded'
and you just gave a quick smooth down and could re-apply new varnish.

Is there any varnish that you would recommend that is better behaved
in that
it doesn't peel off in patches, or might it be a good idea to just rub
some
oil of some kind into the wood?


Danish oil forms less of a skin and so less peeling problems but you
will have to endure the pain of rubbing down one more time before
putting it on.

Normally cedar is left in its natural state to go silver grey and does
not need protection from the elements.



Anything other than cedar will probably by now have become porous in
patches. Wood hardener is the way to go IMO but you need bare wood for
that, so a lot of work

On Saturday 23 February 2013 09:43 Dave West wrote in uk.d-i-y:

My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal etc,
but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks very hard
in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid of; and just
peels off in other places.

Many years ago I'm seem to remember varnish just somehow gracefully
'faded' and you just gave a quick smooth down and could re-apply new
varnish.

You are probably thinking of a microporous stain/protector, like Sadolin
Classic. It soaks in rather than skinning over the top. Works OK on bare
cedar - I just used some on my gutterboard - more for the colour than the
protection, as western red cedar is pretty tough unprotected.

You'll have to sand it down, possibly using paint stripper first to get rid
of the old varnish.

Is there any varnish that you would recommend that is better behaved in
that it doesn't peel off in patches, or might it be a good idea to just
rub some oil of some kind into the wood?
--
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http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

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"Dave West" writes:

My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal etc,
but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks very hard
in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid of; and just
peels off in other places.

Cedar cannot be finished after it has weathered (anything more than
about 2 weeks in the open). What you have to do is sand it back to
unweathered wood, and then finish it with whatever finish you desire -
it should accept just about anything.

Summary: the problem is the state of the wood, not the quality of the
varnish.

Alex

--
Swish - Easy SFTP for Windows Explorer (http://www.swish-sftp.org)

On Sunday 24 February 2013 23:33 Alexander Lamaison wrote in uk.d-i-y:

"Dave West" writes:

My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal
etc, but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks
very hard in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid
of; and just peels off in other places.

Cedar cannot be finished after it has weathered (anything more than
about 2 weeks in the open). What you have to do is sand it back to
unweathered wood, and then finish it with whatever finish you desire -
it should accept just about anything.

Summary: the problem is the state of the wood, not the quality of the
varnish.

Alex


My gutterboards have been kicking around about 8 weeks prior to finishing.

They appear to have taken Sadolin Classic just fine.

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

Tim Watts writes:

On Sunday 24 February 2013 23:33 Alexander Lamaison wrote in uk.d-i-y:

"Dave West" writes:

My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood
slats which i think are cedar wood.

Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal
etc, but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks
very hard in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid
of; and just peels off in other places.

Cedar cannot be finished after it has weathered (anything more than
about 2 weeks in the open). What you have to do is sand it back to
unweathered wood, and then finish it with whatever finish you desire -
it should accept just about anything.

Summary: the problem is the state of the wood, not the quality of the
varnish.

Alex


My gutterboards have been kicking around about 8 weeks prior to finishing.

They appear to have taken Sadolin Classic just fine.

Perhaps the gutters were sheltering them from the sun. Had they started
turning grey yet? When they do that, they get very 'shiny' and nothing
sticks properly.

Alex

--
Swish - Easy SFTP for Windows Explorer (http://www.swish-sftp.org)

On Saturday, February 23, 2013 9:50:06 AM UTC, Bob Minchin wrote:
Dave West wrote:

My rear sliding door has an aluminum frame, which is faced off with wood

slats which i think are cedar wood.



Over very many years i've tried various modern varnishes like Ronseal etc,

but it always peels off in a very awkward way. That is it sticks very hard

in some places, making it a real pain to rub down or get rid of; and just

peels off in other places.



Many years ago I'm seem to remember varnish just somehow gracefully 'faded'

and you just gave a quick smooth down and could re-apply new varnish.



Is there any varnish that you would recommend that is better behaved in that

it doesn't peel off in patches, or might it be a good idea to just rub some

oil of some kind into the wood?





Danish oil forms less of a skin and so less peeling problems but you

will have to endure the pain of rubbing down one more time before

putting it on.



Normally cedar is left in its natural state to go silver grey and does

not need protection from the elements.

'Danish Oil' is a generic term. Each manufacturer produces a different formulation under that name and they can be very different products.

We have a hardwood table and chairs we keep on the patio during the summer. Its put away every winter. I finish it once a year with Osmo

http://www.osmouk.com/

Its quite thin and goes on very easy.

5-6 years ago I finished a garden seat with Epifanes
http://www.epifanes.com/

following their recommendation of 7 coats. It gets a touch up on the odd spot every year but apart from that has survived remarkably well. Lot of trouble but well worth it IMHO

On Monday 25 February 2013 10:21 Alexander Lamaison wrote in uk.d-i-y:


Perhaps the gutters were sheltering them from the sun.

"sun"... Ah, that mystereous glowing orb... I see - we haven't had any.

Had they started
turning grey yet? When they do that, they get very 'shiny' and nothing
sticks properly.

No - not as beige as when completely new, but not far off...

Does this affect woodstains though - that mostly soak in?


Alex

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet

Tim Watts writes:

On Monday 25 February 2013 10:21 Alexander Lamaison wrote in uk.d-i-y:


Perhaps the gutters were sheltering them from the sun.

"sun"... Ah, that mystereous glowing orb... I see - we haven't had any.

Had they started
turning grey yet? When they do that, they get very 'shiny' and nothing
sticks properly.

No - not as beige as when completely new, but not far off...

Does this affect woodstains though - that mostly soak in?

I can't say from experience, but from the cedar trade body literature
(can't find a link right now) it affects everything. I believe the
problem is that cedar has a very low permeability (that's what makes it
so suitable for cladding etc) and weathered cedar is even more
impervious. The wood stain doesn't manage to soak in.

Alex

--
Swish - Easy SFTP for Windows Explorer (http://www.swish-sftp.org)

On Monday 25 February 2013 13:06 Alexander Lamaison wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Tim Watts writes:

On Monday 25 February 2013 10:21 Alexander Lamaison wrote in uk.d-i-y:


Perhaps the gutters were sheltering them from the sun.

"sun"... Ah, that mystereous glowing orb... I see - we haven't had any.

Had they started
turning grey yet? When they do that, they get very 'shiny' and nothing
sticks properly.

No - not as beige as when completely new, but not far off...

Does this affect woodstains though - that mostly soak in?

I can't say from experience, but from the cedar trade body literature
(can't find a link right now) it affects everything. I believe the
problem is that cedar has a very low permeability (that's what makes it
so suitable for cladding etc) and weathered cedar is even more
impervious. The wood stain doesn't manage to soak in.

Alex


It certainly was not very porous when I applied the Sadolin. I only did one
coat on the one day after 2 dry days when the temperature actually made +6C
(Sadolin recommends +8C, close enough).

I do not think another coat would soak in at all. However, it's done the job
of colouring it - which is the main objective. I didn't want grey weathered
cedar next to rosewood stained softwood soffits - that would look tatty.

Possibly the UV blocking of the Sadolin will slow down weathering too?

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Usenet