To Spar or not to Spar

[Bolson32]

That is the question. I'm building some carriage doors for a 6ft door in my new garage and I'm wondering if I should use some minwax helmsman Spar urethane on them in addition to the Cabot Gold exterior stain I've already got on them.

The doors are framed with some LP 5/4 trim I had leftover from the build, foam core, osb backed, pine panel siding front with cedar trim.

I'd like to save a step if possible, but I also don't want it to rot within a year or two.

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[brianh]

I like CWF deck and siding preservative it does not peel and lasts much longer than any exterior poly I have used I buy the natural clear but it comes in tints also.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I have a 2x6 cut to fit and used as a bed divider in my 2011 pickup. I initially used spar urethane on it. After refinishing it twice, I sanded it down and applied several coats of 50/50 Boiled Linseed Oil and Paint thinner. It still, after a couple of years, looks like the day I sanded it down.

 

[RivennHewn]

Anything besides minwax

 

[gahrajmahal]

Several years ago I installed a nice mahogany door with sidelight as our front door. It had the factory finish, whatever that was. It looked good for three years, so I sanded it down and used spar varnish. That was not long ago and it needs refinishing again. I will be watching this thread for some longer lasting suggestions.

 

[Bolson32]

The more I read, spar over the exterior stain may even be a bad idea. I might be better off to use JUST the stain and get on with it.

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[PassnThru]

My theory on exterior finishes is that all will fail - the key is how easy it is to refresh them. Exterior stain alone requires a good cleaning and another coat. Poly's require sanding which means much more prep work.
Take a wood bench for example - you may think that putting a clear poly on it will extend the life of the finish. And it will by just a few years. Once those few years are up you have a real problem on your hands. I just pressure wash and reapply.

 

[Bolson32]

That's a good point. I think I'm going to see what this cabot looks like after a couple of coats and probably skip the spar.

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[Bretny]

My theory on exterior finishes is that all will fail - the key is how easy it is to refresh them. Exterior stain alone requires a good cleaning and another coat. Poly's require sanding which means much more prep work.
Take a wood bench for example - you may think that putting a clear poly on it will extend the life of the finish. And it will by just a few years. Once those few years are up you have a real problem on your hands. I just pressure wash and reapply.

I'm with you on my choice greatly depends on how easy it is to re apply. Oil based exterior stains are long lasting and no sanding needed to re apply.

 

[Showkey]

Typical failure of spar or urethane varnish after 18 months outside, even the very very best at $40-$50 per quart will end the same




Penetrating oil stain will likely hold up better.

 

[Angelfire]

Penetrating vs film finish is really what you're asking. Penetrating offers the easiest re-coat options although with some of the film finishes out there, particularly the WB versions, they offer easy re-coat as well. But once a film finish fails, you are into sanding/removing to recoat. If you're set on a varnish, go for a true marine varnish such as Epifanes. Not cheap but please don't use Minwax.

 

[Bolson32]

Thanks All, This has been SUPER helpful. I went with Cabot gold, which is an oil based transparent stain and sealer. I'm sure there's better out there but this most closely matched the "dark oak" steel door I have on the same wall.

https://www.cabotstain.com/pdf/PDS-Cabot-Gold.pdf

This does appear to leave a firmer finish as well so I think it's pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. I'm much more inclined to wash and restain a door than I am to tear them off and go at it again. I'm really glad I posted this so I'll do it right AND save myself a couple of steps.

 

[Bretny]

Prob the best thing you can do for any exterior wood finish is to make sure it stays dry and out of the sun.

If you find the finish fails quicker than you want look into a stain from the log cabin industry. Those guys dont play around with big box store stuff.

 

[Bolson32]

Prob the best thing you can do for any exterior wood finish is to make sure it stays dry and out of the sun.

If you find the finish fails quicker than you want look into a stain from the log cabin industry. Those guys dont play around with big box store stuff.

Well, not always the easiest thing to do on an exterior door lol. With that said, they're under a 2ft eve and face NNE, so sun actually...shouldn't be much of a problem.

I stuck with just the two coats of Cabot Gold and really like how they turned out.

 

[spudley]

Good choice and good job on the doors.

I made a bench/swing out of red oak (not a good outdoor wood but what I had) and gave it 4 coats of outdoor spar varnish. It now looks worse than the chair Showkey posted. Still structurally fine but hard to look at. Oh well, looks like I have a painting project on the list.