# Skull Chair



## DarthMaverick (Jan 23, 2014)

So my wife is having me make her a new set of patio furniture. I plan on making her 2 of these skull chairs, 1 rocker and a bench all with the same seat back. I am using all pallet wood for this project. My question is how should I finish them, I am not looking to paint them, I need them to withstand the weather of the northeast, and I am just unsure how to proceed. I am new to woodworking so any help would be GREAT! The picture below is of the first chair, unfinished.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I would get an outdoor paint and not add the coloring. It dries clear and has the UV protection of paint.


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## GregInMaryland (Mar 11, 2010)

Does your wife know of and approve skull chairs? If not, just skip the finishing step. You'll be getting rid of them soon enough.

If she does know and approve, your biggest problem area is going to be the legs. They are going wick up moisture, stay wet and rot. Your best bet is to use epoxy on the bottoms of the legs. You want an epoxy that flows fairly easily. That pretty much excludes 5 minute epoxy. Use Google to find more information about the process.

Good luck, and nice chair!

Greg


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## DarthMaverick (Jan 23, 2014)

Jim the paint with no coloring sounds like a fantastic idea, I will be sure to look into the process.

Greg, good to know about the legs wicking moisture. The legs are the only part that are not from a pallet though, they are scrap pressure treated 4×4s from the new fence I installed over the summer. Do you think I will still have the same problem?

By the way, YES, my wife does know about the chairs, in fact, they were her idea. Her next project for me is to build her a pirate ship that will second as our pool deck. Yup, an 18 foot pirate ship in my back yard. We got a theme going on here. What can I say, I married a pirate.


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## GregInMaryland (Mar 11, 2010)

My boys would love a Pirate Ship in the back yard. My wife less so.

You will have wicking issues no matter what wood you use. However, issues will develop differently based on your wood choices, how much moisture is present in the environment (Florida vs Arizona), and what surface the furniture will rest on (concrete vs grass).

So, without knowing all the details, the best I can say is definitely maybe, possibly you will need to apply epoxy.

Greg


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