What finish to use?

My favorite finish for poplar is paint. Especially in this case, as it’s easy to repair.

Clear film finishes are going to get ugly in a hurry with abuse, and oil adds little to no protection.

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

If you want a clear finish that may hold up, use spar urathane. It’s for exterior wood, has uv filters in it and is pretty hard when it cures.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

I thought about this too. The probelm his both he and I want the look of the wood. Has anyone used epoxy finishes? How are they to apply and how well do they last?

-- Jimmy, Oklahoma "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing milkbone underwear!"

Spar urathane, I will have to check it out.

-- Jimmy, Oklahoma "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing milkbone underwear!"

spar urethane is more flexible not as hard. might work because it will abrosb the blows but might not. epoxy’s good but can be really tough.

“tool bed truck box” BLO sounds like a good choice. Poplar will dent, so a finish that sits on the wood, incuding epoxy, will crack. The BLO will dry quicker with a heavy addition of thinner. I’ve used up to a 50/50 mix.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

So 50/50 BLO and Mineral Spirit? I usually flood it on, let it sit then wipe off. Continue to check and wipe for the next few hours then wait for the cure. Is it the same method? Do you need more coats since it is thiner and contains less oil? This is the blog on the tray.

-- Jimmy, Oklahoma "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing milkbone underwear!"

Please don’t forget that popular is green. If you want the look of wood you will need to stain it or you will have green streaks.

-- Berta in NC

Spar varnish will candy-coat the wood with an amber tint and be a relatively soft finish. Cetol might be better. Epoxy has no UV resistance, so will get sunburned, unless you put a varnish over it. I’d recommend a Bristol finish, but it’s expensive. Go to a West Marine and check out the options. If you go with an epoxy undercoat, use the 207 hardener. Check out Epiphanes too. This is a subject that even sailors don’t agree on.

-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails

A marine varnish will have UV inhibitors and is a good coating for exterior wood. They are not known for their hardness, tho, staying flexible and relatively soft, but that makes it easier to maintain and refinish..

Regular “Polyurethane” varnish (minwax, Varathane, etc) outside will break down at the wood/varnish intersection, and will start peeling up in sheets after a few months in the weather. A marine quality 2 component polyurethane will hold up to UV and will be flexible, but is expensive at over $100 a gallon..

Another finish I have seen used on wood truck boxes is flooding it with fiberglass resin. The polyester holds up pretty good and is flexible if you don’t overdo the hardener. A friend of mine had a truck bed cover made from OSB that he coated this way and it held up for several years.

Go

-- Go http://ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=730

The poplar with blo will turn brown when exposed to sunlight. The blo is easy to reapply when needed and holds up well as it soaks into the wood.

I think I am going to go with blo for the tray. Both of these pieces will be inside a metal truck bed tool box. I am thinking of going with a stain on the tool box to even out the color not sure what I am going to put over the stain though. Maybe a marine varnish.

-- Jimmy, Oklahoma "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing milkbone underwear!"

If you have a fine woodworking.com account search Sean Clarke. He uses an Epifanes Marine Varnish over a epoxy finish

“For several years, I’ve had great results using MultiWoodPrime (also called Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) made by Smith & Company. Originally developed to stabilize decaying outdoor wood structures, it comes in a cold-weather formula for when the temperature is 28° to 65ºF, and a warm-weather version for above 50ºF.
Both consist of two parts combined equally, with a working time of about 20 minutes.”

From ”A Durable Exterior Finish” by Sean Clarke, Fine Woodworking, September-October 2005, pg. 42-45

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.