Two-three years ago, we discussed clear coats for outdoor furniture. It was proffered whether the base, for oil base house paint, was good or better than dedicated marine or other clear coats. The rationalle: Since house paint is understood to be appropriate for the outside of a house, the base (no pigment added) should work well for outdoor furniture.... it dries clear.

"Sonny" wrote in message

Update: Recently, I decided to paint the swing, rather
than clear coat it, again. A landscape architect advised
not to paint it white, or it would stick out like a sore
thumb against the natural background. That sounded
reasonable. He recommended a dark blue frame and light
blue slats. It was primed with Zinsser oil base primer.
Here's the result, with the following 2 pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/9717812768/ I
must have selected the wrong shades of blue, as these
colors are not good for this application/lawn scenario.
It looks worse in person, as opposed to the view in these
pictures. I'll spray paint the swing some light/moderate
green color.

Pick a greyed down green. Fairly dark would look best IMO


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Tue, 10 Sep 2013 09:56:18 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

Pick a greyed down green. Fairly dark would look best IMO

At least one of the paint brands has a "Park Bench Green" that should
look right. Sorry, I don't remember which one.

But for sitting on, use an oil based paint. The darker latex paints
never seem to completely dry. I've got some book cases painted in the
above-mentioned green and even after many years if I leave something
heavy sitting on the paint for any length of time it will stick to the
paint.

--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

On 9/10/2013 8:21 AM, Sonny wrote:
Two-three years ago, we discussed clear coats for outdoor furniture. It was proffered whether the base, for oil base house paint, was good or better than dedicated marine or other clear coats. The rationalle: Since house paint is understood to be appropriate for the outside of a house, the base (no pigment added) should work well for outdoor furniture.... it dries clear.

Two years ago, I experimented with applying the oil base base, no pigment added. In the can, it was opague/milky, yet dried clear. It's the colorant/pigment added, that provides the UV blocking qualities, however, I tried the base, as a clear coating, to see if it would hold up, worked well enough, long term. Initially, I used a Spar Urethane and it held up well for 5-7 years. Two years ago, I stripped and refinished it with the oil base base. Here's the project, Mom's swing, to be hung under an oak tree.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/4035599544/

This above oil base base finish did not hold up well, at all. It quickly deteriorated and turned black, as if the oil solvent biodegraded. Lesson: Do not use an oil base paint base for clear coating outdoor furniture. Also, it was a pain to strip off, clean and/or prep, for subsequent refinishing/painting, especially after it had deteriorated/blackened, as it had.

Update: Recently, I decided to paint the swing, rather than clear coat it, again. A landscape architect advised not to paint it white, or it would stick out like a sore thumb against the natural background. That sounded reasonable. He recommended a dark blue frame and light blue slats. It was primed with Zinsser oil base primer. Here's the result, with the following 2 pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/9717812768/ I must have selected the wrong shades of blue, as these colors are not good for this application/lawn scenario. It looks worse in person, as opposed to the view in these pictures. I'll spray paint the swing some light/moderate green color. Lessen: Blue is not the best color for this sort of outdoor furniture.

Sonny


I would have tried an epoxy coating followed by spar varnish...

That wood was beautiful, and deserved to be seen.

--
Jeff

Blue can be really appropriated. Look at




http://www.pariscotejardin.fr/2010/0...ris-paris-19e/




A lot of gardens in Paris have blue railings.



"Sonny" a écrit dans le message de
...
Two-three years ago, we discussed clear coats for outdoor furniture. It was
proffered whether the base, for oil base house paint, was good or better
than dedicated marine or other clear coats. The rationalle: Since house
paint is understood to be appropriate for the outside of a house, the base
(no pigment added) should work well for outdoor furniture.... it dries
clear.

Two years ago, I experimented with applying the oil base base, no pigment
added. In the can, it was opague/milky, yet dried clear. It's the
colorant/pigment added, that provides the UV blocking qualities, however, I
tried the base, as a clear coating, to see if it would hold up, worked well
enough, long term. Initially, I used a Spar Urethane and it held up well
for 5-7 years. Two years ago, I stripped and refinished it with the oil base
base. Here's the project, Mom's swing, to be hung under an oak tree.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/4035599544/

This above oil base base finish did not hold up well, at all. It quickly
deteriorated and turned black, as if the oil solvent biodegraded. Lesson:
Do not use an oil base paint base for clear coating outdoor furniture.
Also, it was a pain to strip off, clean and/or prep, for subsequent
refinishing/painting, especially after it had deteriorated/blackened, as it
had.

Update: Recently, I decided to paint the swing, rather than clear coat it,
again. A landscape architect advised not to paint it white, or it would
stick out like a sore thumb against the natural background. That sounded
reasonable. He recommended a dark blue frame and light blue slats. It was
primed with Zinsser oil base primer. Here's the result, with the following
2 pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/9717812768/ I must have
selected the wrong shades of blue, as these colors are not good for this
application/lawn scenario. It looks worse in person, as opposed to the view
in these pictures. I'll spray paint the swing some light/moderate green
color. Lessen: Blue is not the best color for this sort of outdoor
furniture.

Sonny

On Tuesday, September 10, 2013 5:08:14 PM UTC-5, woodchucker wrote:
I would have tried an epoxy coating followed by spar varnish... That wood was beautiful, and deserved to be seen. -- Jeff

The wood is ER cedar. After hurricanes, I've collected lots of downed trees and had them milled, so I have lots of cedar and other lumber. Cedar is a nice decorative wood and appropriate for many accent pieces. It's kind of soft for some/many furniture applications.

I prefer clear coats, to painting, anything. This time, I was looking for an easier job, of it. Turned out to be more work than I bargained for. I could have built a whole new swing in less time, than I've spent on this refinishing.... and I'm still not finished!

I have never used epoxy for wholesale finishing/refinishing. I've used it as a wood filler and/or for strengthening of decayed wood areas on furniture framing, that has too many nail/tack holes to properly support further fastener application.... Upholstering applications, more specifically: Sometimes, an older piece of furniture will have so many nail/tack holes, along a narrow wood framing, that reattaching new fabric is compromised by the previous nail/tack holes in the wood. New fasteners don't fasten securely, so the wood is beefed up with epoxy, when the wood framing can't be wholely replaced with new wood. I've even used epoxy to beef up wood that has been severely perforated by powder post beetles/woodworm.

On the swing, the wood slats were finished individually, before installing. That was time consuming. Applying an epoxy, also, I'm thinking, would take much longer. I'll give epoxy some consideration, next time around.

Thanks.
Sonny

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013 2:24:41 AM UTC-5, ck wrote:
Blue can be really appropriated. Look at http://www.pariscotejardin.fr/2010/0...ris-paris-19e/ A lot of gardens in Paris have blue railings.

That's a better shade of blue, than I selected. I definitely need something darker or, as DadiOH says, grey-green. My sister suggested a grey-green, also.

You know what the real problem is, though? Painting! Nice looking wood should be clear coated.

Sonny

"Sonny" wrote in message

On the swing, the wood slats were finished individually,
before installing. That was time consuming. Applying an
epoxy, also, I'm thinking, would take much longer. I'll
give epoxy some consideration, next time around.


The function of epoxy is to hold stuff together. It does that very well.
It would suck as a wood finish for several reasons...

1. It deteriorates rapidly in UV.

2. It would be a bitch to get on and smooth

3. It would be a bitch to get off (see #1 and below).
__________________

I once finished all the bright work - trunk cabin, cockpit, dog house - of a
40' sailboat with polyester resin. Not quite the same as epoxy - polyester
does UV better - but close enough for this comment.

I thinned it with styrene to a brushable consistency and brushed on 3-4
coats. I then wet sanded it to smooth and flat. After that I buffed it to
a high gloss with rubbing compound. All that took a while - a LONG while -
but after I finished it was drop dead gorgeous, shown like a diamond in the
sun. For about a year; then it started cracking/crazing and I sanded it all
off and went back to varnish. That also took a while.

Epoxy would have been less prone to cracking/crazing but it would have
deteriorated from the sun's UV. The moral is, don't use epoxy (or polyester
out in the weather) as a finish.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

"Sonny" wrote in message

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013 2:24:41 AM UTC-5, ck
wrote:
Blue can be really appropriated. Look at
http://www.pariscotejardin.fr/2010/0...ris-paris-19e/
A lot of gardens in Paris have blue railings.

That's a better shade of blue, than I selected. I
definitely need something darker or, as DadiOH says,
grey-green. My sister suggested a grey-green, also.

You know what the real problem is, though? Painting!
Nice looking wood should be clear coated.


I agree and there is nothing stopping you from doing that; you just have to
be willing to keep it up.



--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

dadiOH wrote:
"Sonny" wrote in message

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013 2:24:41 AM UTC-5, ck
wrote:
Blue can be really appropriated. Look at
http://www.pariscotejardin.fr/2010/0...ris-paris-19e/
A lot of gardens in Paris have blue railings.

That's a better shade of blue, than I selected. I
definitely need something darker or, as DadiOH says,
grey-green. My sister suggested a grey-green, also.

You know what the real problem is, though? Painting!
Nice looking wood should be clear coated.


I agree and there is nothing stopping you from doing that; you just
have to be willing to keep it up.

So, now I'm wondering. Oh geeze - that's a bad thing...

I've shot wood with automotive clear coat in the past (electric guitars),
and it was just fine. Automotive clear coat is very resistant to UV rays -
which is why you don't see your car fading over 2 years like you used to in
the old days. I've never really investigated to see if there are any
downsides to shooting this stuff on wood, and I've never noticed any even
more than 10 years down the road, but none of these have been sitting out in
the sun and weather. It's expensive - figure $125-$150 per gallon (with
activator) at retail prices - assuming you're not buying the high end
brands. It also requires excellent protective devices because the stuff is
a toxic as a mad wife. Maybe more.

It would be worth shooting a slab off the old **** house wall the next time
I mix some up, and then just sticking it out in the weather to observe.
Maybe I'll just do that...

--

-Mike-

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013 8:58:40 AM UTC-5, Mike Marlow wrote:
You know what the real problem is, though? Painting! Nice looking wood should be clear coated.


I agree and there is nothing stopping you from doing that; you just have to be willing to keep it up. So, now I'm wondering.

Oh geeze - that's a bad thing... I've shot wood with automotive clear coat in the past (electric guitars), and it was just fine. Automotive clear coat is very resistant to UV rays - -- -Mike-

Maybe there's a happy median, here. The swing's frame is doweled together, no nails, screws, etc, so there's no problem with expansion/contraction affecting the joints, nor was/is there any problem with that woodwork.

The slats are nailed on (different expansion/contraction) and were initially thin enough to flex, when sat on, so the previous finishes were compromised at the nail sites, mostly. I replaced the slats with new thicker ones, but I suspect the nail sites will eventually be compromised, again, and any finish, even the automotive finish, will, again, be compromised at those spots, first.

Maybe, finish the frame with the automotive clear coat (a pint or 2, at most), for a more permanent finish, and simply replace the slats when the spar finish fails. Replacing the slats would be much easier, than trying to strip and/or prep/refinish the old ones. An auto-body shop might spray the frame much cheaper, than my getting (an excess amount of?) supplies and spraying it.

Sonny

On Tue, 10 Sep 2013 05:21:58 -0700 (PDT), Sonny
wrote:

Two-three years ago, we discussed clear coats for outdoor furniture. It was proffered whether the base, for oil base house paint, was good or better than dedicated marine or other clear coats. The rationalle: Since house paint is understood to be appropriate for the outside of a house, the base (no pigment added) should work well for outdoor furniture.... it dries clear.

Two years ago, I experimented with applying the oil base base, no pigment added. In the can, it was opague/milky, yet dried clear. It's the colorant/pigment added, that provides the UV blocking qualities, however, I tried the base, as a clear coating, to see if it would hold up, worked well enough, long term. Initially, I used a Spar Urethane and it held up well for 5-7 years. Two years ago, I stripped and refinished it with the oil base base. Here's the project, Mom's swing, to be hung under an oak tree.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/4035599544/

This above oil base base finish did not hold up well, at all. It quickly deteriorated and turned black, as if the oil solvent biodegraded. Lesson: Do not use an oil base paint base for clear coating outdoor furniture. Also, it was a pain to strip off, clean and/or prep, for subsequent refinishing/painting, especially after it had deteriorated/blackened, as it had.

Update: Recently, I decided to paint the swing, rather than clear coat it, again. A landscape architect advised not to paint it white, or it would stick out like a sore thumb against the natural background. That sounded reasonable. He recommended a dark blue frame and light blue slats. It was primed with Zinsser oil base primer. Here's the result, with the following 2 pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43836144@N04/9717812768/ I must have selected the wrong shades of blue, as these colors are not good for this application/lawn scenario. It looks worse in person, as opposed to the view in these pictures. I'll spray paint the swing some light/moderate green color. Lessen: Blue is not the best color for this sort of outdoor furniture.

Sonny

Fine Woodworking ran an article on outdoor finishes in issue 205.

They tested Watco Exterior Wood Finish, Zar Exterior Poly, Man O' War
Spar Varnish, Epifanes Marine Varnish, and Smith & Co. Penetrating
Epoxy Sealer under the Epifanes, and had samples sent to several
locations around the country to be outdoors for 1 year.

Only the last 2 samples held up in all conditions, and equally so.
They concluded the epoxy wasn't necessary. The downside is that it is
more costly than other products, and instructions call for 7 thinned
coats. I saw a price of $34/quart and up online.