Oak gates and Door what finish

[Ollie78]

I am making some gates and a door from air dried european oak, they need finishing with a satin matte non film forming finish, so an oil I guess.

Was going to use Owatrol textrol but they say its not for "new" wood and either needs ageing a year (not really an option) or treating with another product to accelerate the aging. However this ageing product can`t be used on Oak !!
I like the idea of the thin penetrating oil as it should soak in well, apparently its popular on boats where you just keep applying it till it can`t soak in anymore.

Then there is Osmo uv protection oil which will need a coat of pre treatment with WR basecoat.

Fiddes exterior high build oil, needs a pre treatment with "a preservative".

Barretine wood preserver followed by thier wood protective treatment.

Treatex do an Oak specific basecoat which then needs overcoating with thier UV oil.

I have even seen a silicone based cream stuff called Roxil which is for sheds and stuff, though normally I don`t allow any silicone products in the workshop.

Anyone have any favourites out of this lot or a better one than all of them that I have not discovered.

I understand that generally a slight pigment helps against UV damage so was going to go for a light oak colour.
Getting "analysis paralysis"
Everything sounds rubbish when you read the small print, not suitable for horizontal surfaces etc.
I don`t want to make an expensive mistake !!

Ollie

 

[redhunter350]

Presumably these are for outside use ? If so I would consider Osmo oil but do look carefully at the spec you need an outdoor use type and for vertical surfaces, they do have a help section on their web site and will send you samples of the product you want to try.
John

 

[imageel]

Any translucent coating on oak will eventually result in the oak going the usual silver-grey as the UV attacks the wood, all the coating is going to do is to arrest the development of that, however more likely it will act as a moisture stabiliser and thus will reduce the effects of the constant humidity cycling that inevitably will occur with something exposed to the elements and hence prolong the surface finish.
I personally find that many thinned coats of tung oil to be pretty good for the moisture control whilst it's UV protection is minimal. I applied this technique to the Sapele frames of my workshop and some 12y later they still look pretty good and in particular areas of exposed, end-grain such as cills etc look as sharp as when initially cut.
Tung is also pretty cheap in comparison to some of the products you mention however none AFAIK will stop long-term UV degradation.
There is a thread on this forum somewhere where a series of long term tests were performed of various products and all showed some deterioration so you need to take your pick!

 

[johnnyb]

I seem to have used every combination of oils and varnishes.finally I sprayed it with grey barn paint as none was much cop.
I thought osmo uv was about the best. tung oil and tung oil varnish is not very durable tbh.

 

[Doug71]

I feel your pain.

I have found Osmo doesn't last on horizontal surfaces like gate rails and door weather bars.

Probably not what you are looking for but I used some acrylic external varnish on a couple of benches last year and it's doing okay, looks to be gradually wearing away rather than peeling.

 

[deema]

I’ve a few oak windows and doors that I’ve made in my house, I used Osmo UV and the oldest which is over 10 years old now is still looking great, not greyed. I recoat every third year, but it’s a very quick job. I just designed the bits so I had a 9 degree minimum chamfer on everything.
I used Osmo straight into the oak, nothing underneath. What is WR base coat?

 

[mikej460]

Our village recently bought a sold oak memorial bench and the supplier says not to treat it with anything for at least a year.

 

[Ollie78]

I’ve a few oak windows and doors that I’ve made in my house, I used Osmo UV and the oldest which is over 10 years old now is still looking great, not greyed. I recoat every third year, but it’s a very quick job. I just designed the bits so I had a 9 degree minimum chamfer on everything.
I used Osmo straight into the oak, nothing underneath. What is WR base coat?

I am leaning a little towards the Osmo myself, I use tons of the original Polyx on interior furniture and used it on my Maple flooring as well.
The WR base coat is evidently a primer coat to prevent against fungus and mildew, they recommend it under the UV oil.
I am going to put an angle on all the horizontal rails of the gates (they are more like FL&B doors really)

@Doug71
I don`t think there is anything that will last well on the horizontal bits. Even thick yacht varnish will fail in the end, its more the manor of failure. I know if I use a film forming finish it will be a nightmare to repair later on. I think i will have to tell the client to slap a coat on every 18month and give them the rest of the tin.

Our village recently bought a sold oak memorial bench and the supplier says not to treat it with anything for at least a year.

This is what the Owatrol guys were advocating as well, they said the surface pores open up allowing the oil to properly penetrate.
Not sure I like the idea, generally I think the finish is to prevent the surface doing that in the first place.
I don`t think this will be generally accepted by clients on a relatively posh front door people generally want a "finished" look.

@imageel
I know nothing will stop the eventual silvering its more to control moisture and movement, but it would be nice to offer some uv protection.

@johnnyb
Maybe battleship grey floor paint, that`ll sort it !

Thanks for all replies.

Ollie

 

[Tuco]

Osmo is horrible stuff. Always looks horrible after a year. I dont put anything on exterior oak.