Outdoor Finish - Watco Teak Oil and Sikkens Cetol

[thewoodwhisperer]

I used Watco Teak Oil for the chair on the left and Sikkens Cetol for the chair on the right.

Watco Teak Oil

Very easy to apply: just flood on the surface and wipe off the excess. Its primarily boiled linseed oil with some additives to make it more outdoor-friendly. I applied a total of two coats, applying the second coat with a 1000 grit sanding pad and wiping off the excess. Resulting surface is incredibly smooth. I am very curious to see how this relatively light finish does over time.

Sikkens Cetol Marine

This was actually an accidental order. But since I had it on hand I figured why not give it a shot. This stuff is really just a varnish with pigments and other additives. The pigments are what might throw you off here. It gives the stuff working properties similar to Polyshades. So if the finish is thicker in one area, it will be incredibly noticeable because the color changes. The pigments will help to even out the wood tones, which may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective, and they also help block UV. I didn't follow the manufacturer's instructions simply because I don't want a super thick film finish on my chairs. So I diluted the finish a bit and wiped on two coats. Time will tell....

[Emill71]

So haw do the chairs look so far? I picked up some Watco Teak Oil for a red oak screen door project. We'll see how it works!

[thewoodwhisperer]

I'll snap a few pics later, but they pretty much look the same as they did after finishing with a little dirt. Then again, I wouldn't expect much of a difference when using a cover all year long.