# Help me with cedar



## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

I need to find a finish or oil that is compatible with cedar. Client would like a wet or oiled look, but not too glossy. I know that many finishes react with cedar, so I thought I would tap into the LJ brain trust on this one. This entire house is western red cedar, inside and out. They want to do the inside, so needs to be compatible with interior life.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I use lacquer on cedar.


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

the client has refined their idea. they want to "refresh the wood" it is 40 years old in the raw, and they feel it is dry looking, and want it to look "fresh cut" this may not be possible. Still interested in thoughts. It does look like some type of lacquer has been used on the exterior.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

any furniture grade oil sold in laymen's stores will work, so will the urethanes which I am not a fan of but some folks are.

Oils are good for high traffic areas as the are easy to repair, easy to apply but they do require maintenance. Urethanes (I repeat I do not like them) have some elasticity to them and on cedar, a rather soft and dentable wood, soft, allows for some forgiveness but its slow going application techniques are hindering

lacquer on cedar is perfect so long as you know it isnt subject to even the slightest bruise as each bruise leaves fractures on the finish so personally I would use a high end marine varnish, perhaps and maybe add more flexibility to the varnish by an adding oil, a catalyst and some thinner…….its the best of all worlds


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

*moron* I agree on lacquer… it is not appropriate for the interior. too much traffic and will prolly end up looking to glossy. The original idea from the home owners was a wax. I just am not experienced enough to know what waxes or products like that would react with cedar. I thing an oil is the way to go, because they are looking to revitalize more than finish the wood. A wax would be a bear on the texture of this cedar. It is a very unique house, and client. So the question is what oil is best matched to ceday.


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## JesseTutt (Aug 15, 2012)

Somewhere I have seen cedar oil that is supposed to make the wood look good and restore (add) the cedar smell.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Are we talking rough cedar here? Or planed but unfinished smooth surface?


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

cedar oil appears to restore the smell of cedar. Does anyone know if it refreshes the wood. The home owners keep talking about how there teak table looks after they oil it to keep it from drying out


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

I have always used three coats of Minwax Gloss Poly, brushed on. I only finish the outside of a Cedar Chest, if it is solid cedar. I never finish cedar that is inside, like a liner.









The outside of a chest, made of solid Red Aromatic Cedar.









and a look under the lid.

No need for a fancy oil. Just some sandpaper. Sand the exposed cedar to bring the aroma right back. Leave the 220 grit nearby.


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

*gfadvm* and all. This is rough cedar, and years have made it rougher. The home is an all cedar construction. There is NO drywall in this home. The same siding that was used on the outside was used to finish the inside. Even the cabinets are made from cedar. I think the original owner, who built the home, might have liked cedar. Cost does not seem like an object to these folks, but I want to get a good suggestion for them.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

do it


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

*bandit571* I like the comment, but do you have a picture that shows more of the finished side. They are quite concerned about the "sheen" factor. It appears you answer the question that polyurethanes don't react with cedar and discolor, so I assume that I could do a matte type finish. Have you experience with that?


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

*Moron* I would like to avoid urethanes. There are a lot of reasons why, and I think you know, what oils do you suggest. I would like to know what oils could potentially react with the cedar.

BTW: All is currently unfinished in any way.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

I have a few more such pictures in my Projects pages. I prefer gloss, but one could knock down the shine if it is wanted. Poly will Darken the red, making it stand out more. The "white" sap wood will turn a yellow. If one uses the water-borne poly, no changes in colour happen. All depends on what look you are after.

Note: On that chest, it took two coats just to get a shine. i had to sand again, and add a third coat. The wood came from an old tree on a friend's property. He had it rough sawn into 2×8 x 12' planks, I did a lot of resawing to get things down to what is shown. I only used three of those old planks.

The biggest problem with this wood IS the oil in it. It will affect the glue-ups. I will leave thing open to let it "air dry" as i work with it. Of course, the shop does smell pretty good, for a few days.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

why do resumes determine pay scales ?

why does word of mouth travel faster then the digital world ?

how many square ft of wood are we talkn about ?


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

its fundamentally important to realize not just your own limits but those to whom surround you


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Joey, Application looks to be a big problem now that you have said it is rough cedar. The oil finishes I have used all involve applying the oil, allowing it to penetrate, and then wiping off the excess. I don't see how you can wipe the excess off of rough cedar. And if you don't wipe it off, you're left with a sticky mess that remains sticky forever (or at least for a LONG time). You might try plain mineral oil on a scrap of rough cedar and see what you think. I just think any oil will attract dust and be hard to care for. A light application of Spar urethane would probably be my choice. It will refresh the color of the wood and be easy to apply. I have done this on the rough cedar beams on the front of my daughter's clinic and liked the results applied with a roller.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

add wood

the ******************** show starts


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

thanks *gfadvm* It will be a mess for sure. I am sure you have seen some of this style of construction in OK. I am still entertaining a solution to this, but there is a specific use, and life to raw cedar construction. I could see the light spar application working, but would it inhibit any future solution? I am going to do test pieces with cedar oil to see if that revives the wood as well as the smell.

*moron* resume's don't determine pay scales. they find out if people can follow instructions.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

resumes determine every dot, hyphen, and signature of pay scale

thats a fact jack


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I have used a water based acrylic, available in gloss, semi gloss, and matte finishes. It sprays beautifully, which I think would be a factor in doing that rough cedar. It has very little smell, and dries within 1 to 2 hours, depending on temp. My approach would be to try some on a scrap or place where it isn't going to show, and see how it looks. One caveat: it raises the grain, and requires sanding between coats (and to knock down the grain, I assume). Very easy stuff to work with. If you want to know the brand, I will have to dig around in the shop. It's kind of pricey-about $45 per gallon.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)




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## stonedlion (Jan 12, 2011)

No one mentioned Tung Oil? I've gotten great results with 100% Tung oil on cedar, but it can take awhile to cure.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)




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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)




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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

clearly


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Joey, Please let us know (with pics) what you wind up doing. I'm very curious. What's up with Moron on this thread?


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Deft is the brand of water based acrylic I used.


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## Parsimonia (Jan 21, 2013)

"I think the original owner, who built the home, might have liked cedar."

That's funny!


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

*Gradvm* I am making recommendations and doing tests now. It will take a week or so, but I'll get pics and post. fortunately they now painted half the house, so now dealing with only half. The large area means I am leaning towards water based sprayable options.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Painted rough cedar doesn't sound attractive to me but to each his own! I have seen people do rough cedar privacy fencing with the Olympic Stain and it does look better than the greyed cedar that weathered cedar takes on. I have sprayed my decks with that stuff using a garden sprayer! It has an 8 year warranty on vertical surfaces and a 5 yr on decking as I recall. Comes in a lot of colors and ranges from clear to almost paint.


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

I have used a lot of the products made for cedar, with great results. These folks do have a very unique set of tastes. But I don't recommend against things more than once, if I am asked a personal opinion, and generally stear towards lots of samples. Still in the decision phase.


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