Choosing The Right Wood Finish

The experts from Woodoc discuss how to choose the right finish to get the best out of your woodworking projects

Few things add more to the enjoyment of our environment than to be surrounded by beautifully-cared-for wood, whether it be interior or exterior wooden furniture, floors, woodwork, joinery, or wooden decks. The first step to ensure that wood stays beautiful and to prevent damage, rot, and decay, is to ensure that the wood is correctly treated with an appropriate preservative for the type of use it will be subject to. This is especially important for wood to be used outdoors and specifically if the wood will be used as part of a structure, like a wooden deck.

Look for the SABS mark on the wood that will identify it as having been treated with and appropriate preservative at the sawmill. The next step is to protect the wood against weathering and damage by sealing the wood with an appropriate sealer. The best way to do this is to apply a sealer that can penetrate wood, bind with the wood, and then build up on the surface. This yields a coating that is part of the wood, able to move and “live” with the wood rather than just clinging precariously to the surface of the wood. This is true irrespective of type of wood or application, inside as well as outside.

The process of sealing wood may be broken up into the following essential steps: