Recommendations for clear sealing cedar grill gazebo?

[TeamTruett]

Not a garage question but a question on a task I will be doing in my garage. I have a new, soon-to-be assembled red cedar grill gazebo. Would like to seal it for added protection. Would apply a sealer to the pieces first before assembly. Any suggestions on brands to use? (or not to use). Thanks

 

[66Caprice]

I used Cabot Timber Oil on my shed 2 years ago. Its nice stuff.

 

[cgrutt]

Alot of different ways to go about it. Is the product sealed already or raw wood? Epifanes spar varnish is a good marine grade product. Cetol is another good product believe it may be PPG but not sure. Look for something with high UV protection but problem is anything clear won't last long and will need to be maintained (assuming high sun exposure). Simple oil based deck stain (clear) would also work. If product has already been sealed you'll need to test for absorption and adherence.

 

[bluedog225]

I used to use Penofin oil based. Then they stopped carrying it around here. Good stuff. Really soaked in. Vertical shingles I put in 30 years ago still look good.

 

[TeamTruett]

Alot of different ways to go about it. Is the product sealed already or raw wood? Epifanes spar varnish is a good marine grade product. Cetol is another good product believe it may be PPG but not sure. Look for something with high UV protection but problem is anything clear won't last long and will need to be maintained (assuming high sun exposure). Simple oil based deck stain (clear) would also work. If product has already been sealed you'll need to test for absorption and adherence.

Not sealed here is a pic on the box. If clear is a not long for this world option I am open to color.

 

[JohnX14]

I used to use Penofin oil based. Then they stopped carrying it around here. Good stuff. Really soaked in. Vertical shingles I put in 30 years ago still look good.

I used that on a brazilian mahogany deck around '98. It looked better than my interior wood floors.

 

[cgrutt]

Not sealed here is a pic on the box. If clear is a not long for this world option I am open to color.

Its all about uv protection clear certainly helps but offers the least amount of protection. As you add color and pigmentation uv protection tends to increase. Benjamin Moore (as others generally) offers exterior stains starting with translucent then moving up to semi-transparent, then to semi-solid and finally to solid. Solid offers the best protection but the trade off (there's always a tradeoff) is you lose the natural grain and look of the wood. Its all personal preference and how committed you are to future maintenance. I'm currently doing a project with oil based Benjamin Moore translucent cedar which may be just slightly darker than your pic above but similar tone. Owner knows it will need to be restained in future but wants to maintain the natural look of the wood (which is pressure treated). I looked at a project I worked on a couple years ago with oil based BM semi transparent stain. Its held up good and preserved the deck (also pressure treated) but needs to be stained again. Cedar has natural oils but is very soft. It really depends on what you are looking to accomplish and the look you're after. The translucent cedar that I'm currently using would probably work great and keep original look. Just may need to restain in future. Spar varnished and polyurethanes are also an option. They tend to have more physical protection from scratches etc then stains but may also require more effort to maintain. Anyway good luck hope this helps.

 

[DGersic]

Not a garage question but a question on a task I will be doing in my garage. I have a new, soon-to-be assembled red cedar grill gazebo. Would like to seal it for added protection. Would apply a sealer to the pieces first before assembly. Any suggestions on brands to use? (or not to use). Thanks

I used Cabot Timber Oil on a set of cedar Adirondack chairs a few years ago and was never happy with it. The stain never fully cured, it stayed sticky and would transfer to clothing if you sat on it for a while. It eventually started to peel off.

I sanded it off and re-stained with PPG Proluxe (used to be called “Cetol”). It went on nice and cured fully and quickly. It looks as good today as the day I stained it.

Proluxe is expensive. Not having to sand it off and do it again is worth it.

 

[DGersic]

Thread 'Recommend stain for outdoor cedar furniture?'
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/recommend-stain-for-outdoor-cedar-furniture.544896/

 

[pima67]

Whatever you pick, I think it would be easier to apply it to all 6 sides of each piece before assembly.. No standing on a ladder and would get total coverage/protection of each piece.

 

[TeamTruett]

Its all about uv protection clear certainly helps but offers the least amount of protection. As you add color and pigmentation uv protection tends to increase. Benjamin Moore (as others generally) offers exterior stains starting with translucent then moving up to semi-transparent, then to semi-solid and finally to solid. Solid offers the best protection but the trade off (there's always a tradeoff) is you lose the natural grain and look of the wood. Its all personal preference and how committed you are to future maintenance. I'm currently doing a project with oil based Benjamin Moore translucent cedar which may be just slightly darker than your pic above but similar tone. Owner knows it will need to be restained in future but wants to maintain the natural look of the wood (which is pressure treated). I looked at a project I worked on a couple years ago with oil based BM semi transparent stain. Its held up good and preserved the deck (also pressure treated) but needs to be stained again. Cedar has natural oils but is very soft. It really depends on what you are looking to accomplish and the look you're after. The translucent cedar that I'm currently using would probably work great and keep original look. Just may need to restain in future. Spar varnished and polyurethanes are also an option. They tend to have more physical protection from scratches etc then stains but may also require more effort to maintain. Anyway good luck hope this helps.

That helps a lot, I am a newbie to exterior stains. Thanks

 

[Mr onetwo]

plus one on the PPG ProLuxe (Sikkens Cetol) I'm using this on some western red cedar around my shops walk door.They claim the formula has not changed, so it should be excellent.Cetol was the go too back in the day.

 

[jack stand]

Being it's got a roof...
You're primary concerns are the posts and especially any fastening brackets at the ground level. They will see all of the water washing down as well as the splashing rain.
The area of concern is the wood to metal area where the air won't circulate behind the plate and it's likely to never really dry out.
That's a handsome little kit! Good luck with your project.

 

[racecougar]

I've had very good results (for decades now) with Armstrong-Clark semi-solid stain in the Mountain Cedar tone. It penetrates very well, and lasts for years without needing maintenance. https://www.armclark.com/colors-products

When I put my gazebo up, I stained all of the lumber ahead of time.

 

[TeamTruett]

Whatever you pick, I think it would be easier to apply it to all 6 sides of each piece before assembly.. No standing on a ladder and would get total coverage/protection of each piece.

Oh yes, I plan on drop clothes,plastic sheeting and saw horses on my screened deck.

 

[TeamTruett]

Being it's got a roof...
You're primary concerns are the posts and especially any fastening brackets at the ground level. They will see all of the water washing down as well as the splashing rain.
The area of concern is the wood to metal area where the air won't circulate behind the plate and it's likely to never really dry out.
That's a handsome little kit! Good luck with your project.

Thanks for the input! It on sale at Sam's club at the moment for anyone interested

 

[TeamTruett]

That helps a lot, I am a newbie to exterior stains. Thanks

racecougar posted this, it serves as a great visual for what you wrote as it breaks down the clear to solid formulas.

Colors & Products | Armstrong-Clark

www.armclark.com