What Finish for Porch Rockers

Bill, the porch rockers that I built are made of ash and I used about 5 coats of pure tung oil followed by 4 coats of a tung oil and varnish mixture. I haven’t had them out long enough to see how the varnish mix will hold up to the weather, but if you just go with several coats of pure tung oil, it will give you good protection from the rain and you can recoat it anytime without worrying about sanding down the varnish. Originally the rockers were going to be in the house, then got moved outside, otherwise I wouldn’t have applied the varnish mix.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

I have heard that spar varnish works well.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Spar varnish is your best bet it retains a fair amount of flexibility after it is dried. This will allow the wood to expand/contract without de-bonding. Good spar varnish has a lot of UV blockers as well should you decide to lounge in the sun.

I like 2 coats of oil/varnish blend (home made with spar varnish) followed by 6+ coats of varnish. Allow the blend to fully dry before applying the straight varnish. The heavy buildup is for sun protection (which is way harder on wood than water) so you may be able to get away with 2-3 coats. Every spring lightly sand and put on another layer of varnish (2-3 for full sun) to keep everything pretty.

-- Che.

Thanks LJs for the advise. Seems like a vote for varnishand oil. It’s a pleasure to be able to ask a question and get solid advise rapidly. LJ where have you been all my life.

Thanks tenontim, Gary, and che

-- Bill - If I knew GRANDKIDS were so much fun I would have had them first.