New Garden Gate

[sooty]

I wonder if you can help me choose the type of finnish I should put on my new garden gate.

I am building it out of 3/4 inch pine floorboard with 6in x 1.1/8in cross members and 3in x 1.1/8in diagonals its almost finished now I just have to rout a chamfer onto the cross members and diagonals to let water run off more easily and then its done.

What kind of weatherproof finnish would you recommend? I was thinking of using creosote but it always looks so drab and I don't think you can apply anything over the top of creosote to make it look good?

I thought about gloss paint but then I would not see the grain of the wood?

Or I could use a stain and an exterior satin varnish?

I would really appreciate your input on this so please tell me what you experts would reccomend? what finnish do you think is best I would like to hang the gate this weekend if possible

 

[RogerS]

If you want to see the grain then Sadolin or Sikkens.

 

[DaveL]

Hi Sooty,

I don't think you can still buy 'proper' creosote any more due to health and safety issues. :shock: I have used Sadlin in the past on pine T&G workshop doors, there is a range of colours and with some you can still see the 'wood'. The thing that I think makes it better that most gloss paint is its micro porous, it lets the moisture out of the timber. 8)

Oh and I have moved this to the finishing forum.

 

[JPEC]

I have found if you use Sadolin 'classic', the thinner non glossy one (in green tin) the grain shows through more than with Sadolin Extra. You can then cover with a clear finish if you wish.

Julian

 

[Paul Chapman]

I use Sadolin Classic on my back door (soft wood), front door (hard wood) and garden furniture (mixture of hard and soft wood) and find it very good. You probably need to re-do it every year but it doesn't flake and peel like paint and varnish because it sinks in and doesn't form a thick film on the surface.

On my back gate I used to use creosote. I now use creosote substitute which looks the same, smells the same and seems to work the same, so I don't know what the difference is between that and the original creosote :?

Paul

 

[sooty]

Called in at my local shop today, could not find Sandolin classic so I came away with Sandolin extra will give this a try to-morrow and see how it goes?