Sanding and Finishing ~ red cedar and reclaimed barn wood bench.

[heartlandnewbienks]

Hi all, I'm a relative newbie when it comes to woodworking but I do enjoy taking on a project every now and then. My latest project is a outdoor bench made out of an old tailgate,red cedar for the frame and reclaimed barn wood for the seat and armrests and I have a few questions when it comes to finishing it. This will be an outdoor bench btw. 1) The cedar frame... I will be using red cedar from one of the local lumberyards, so nothing special there. Can I sand this wood smooth ie furniture smooth? What is the best method of achieving a smooth finish on this type of wood? 2) Reclaimed barn wood... I am unsure of the type of wood it is but I want to make sure that it is smooth and sliver free.. would I sand it just like any other type of wood or is there a particular method that is best? 3) The finish itself... I love the color tones of the natural wood so I know i dont want to go with a stain. I would like a clear, slightly glossy finish to highlight the those beautiful wood tones, yet hold up to the Eastern Kansas weather. This bench will spend its life outdoors, with no cover so Ill need something that has UV protection as well.Ive read numerous times about Epifanes and I looked them up and they are quite pricey. Is there a more affordable choice with just as good protection from UV and harsh weather? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[TerryMcK]

If you make the project entirely from western red cedar then you don't need to put any finish at all onto it as it has its own protection against the climate. It will silver in time and looks great. When it gets wet it brings out the grain even more and after a few weeks it develops a nice smooth (to touch) surface. Problem is once you start by putting a finish on an outdoor project (even with red cedar) is that you have to keep on doing it as the finish itself will deteriorate. Western red cedar is a softwood so you can prepare the surfaces with sandpaper or simply a smoothing plane.

I notice you say reclaimed barn wood. Any idea what species it is? If it is red cedar the above applies. If it's anything else then you are going to have to finish the whole lot with a yacht or spar varnish (and keep doing it).

[heartlandnewbienks]

Yes I am aware there is some upkeep to outdoor furniture but I do not want the greying to happen with the cedar..I don't know what kind of wood the barn is.

[wtnhighlander]

The only thing that will keep the cedar from turning grey ( or at least changing colors) when exposed to sunlight is paint. The color changes as much from UV exposure as from oxidation. As for the barn wood, beware that sanding it smooth will remove some, maybe a lot, of the surface patina. You can try to re-create the color by brushing on a solution of baking soda and water, then letting it dry it the bright sun. Results may be inconsistant.

The one time I traveled across Kansas, I think I saw maybe two trees, and they were both cottonwoods. I believe barns were often constructed from poplar or cottonwood because they are somewhat rot resistant, and generally more available than cedar, at least in the Southeastern US.

[heartlandnewbienks]

Lol there are more trees than you think here in Kansas. I think I might just sand the cedar down to smooth, lightly sand the barnwood, just enough to remove the roughness and put 4 or 5 coats of helmsman gloss exterior spar varnish on the entire thing

[Coop]

I used Australian Timber Oil by Cabot from Lowes on a cedar gate I built about 4 years ago. It turned it a little more orange in color than I really liked but after it dried, I was pleased. The wood was rough and really soaked the oil up well. To this day, the rain still beads up and rolls off and the finish still looks good. Two years ago I built 2 Adirondack chairs using cypress and used this same oil. I sanded the cypress to 180 to get a smooth finish. The oil took a little longer to dry (2 days) on the smooth cypress than the rough cedar. I am pleased with the results on both projects.

Good luck and post a pic of the tailgate bench when finished:)

[heartlandnewbienks]

What if I were to use Watco Teak Oil and then used a spar urethane, i know it will be glossy but thats ok..