Best finish for outdoor wood furniture

Outdoor wood furniture requires a protective finish to prevent damage from moisture and ultraviolet light, or UV. The best finishes not only enhance the beauty of the furniture but also provide effective protection. Possible finishes for wood include paint, stains, oil, varnish or epoxy sealer with a varnish topcoat.

The wood finishes often fail because the wrong finish was selected and the finish was incorrectly applied. Seasonal changes in the moisture content of wood affect the durability of finishes. Paint and varnish adhere better to smooth edge-grained wood surfaces, while penetrating stains work better on flat-grained wood. In order to preserve the natural color and grain of the wood, you must choose oil, exterior varnish or epoxy sealer with a topcoat of exterior varnish.

The most durable and the most labor-intensive natural wood finish consist of three coats of epoxy and a top coat. The epoxy provides a moisture barrier that prevents swelling and shrinking of the wood, and the varnish creates a gleaming bright-work-style finish such as the finish favored by yachting enthusiasts. An oil finish is easiest to apply, but it only lasts for about a year. For a natural wood finish, exterior varnishes or polyurethanes provide better protection and last longer, but they take more time and patience to apply.

Written by Wicker Paradise. All you need to transform a boring backyard to a place where you want to relax, unwind, or entertain is some outdoor wicker furniture and its extraordinary accessories. Find everything you need at Wicker Paradise.