Expert: Jamie Yocono - 2/16/2005

Question
I plan to finish a new oak exterior door with floating panels. The door is north facing with overhang in southern california. The door will not be exposed to direct sun or rain. I plan to stain the door and want to avoid using polyurethane because I don't like the finsh it produces. It has been suggested to me to use   marine varnish. I prefer not to have a glossy finish but at the same time have a durable finish. What would you suggest?  

Answer
Hi Cristine,

This question is a little outside the scope of my area of expertise. I only use Danish Oil on the furniture that I make. But I do have a little experience with what you're doing, so I'm going to offer my opinion.

You mentioned that you wanted to avoid using polyurethane because you don't like the finish it produces. I am assuming you mean that plastic feeling, rather than feeling the wood.  That's because polyurethane is a surface finish, rather than a penetrating one. So it sits on top of the wood, rather than being absorbed in it. Subsequent coats build up layers of that plastic, so that's why heavily varnished pieces feel like plastic, rather than wood.

But marine varnish will give you a very similar feel. So that was a little confusing to me. Both are surface finishes, so both will build up a layer of protection on the wood and result in that feel.

I think you're wanting the protection of a surface finish, which is superior, since it seals the pores of the wood and doesn't allow moisture to penetrate it. But you want the beauty of a penetrating finish, which leaves the wood feeling like wood.

Here are a few suggestions. My favorite Danish Oil is Watco, and they make an exterior version of it.  I've used it on doors and wooden deck furniture and it holds up quite well. There are a few places you can buy Watco on line, if you can't find it locally. Maybe you should Google the term "Watco Danish Oil" and you'll see a list of places that sell it. There are some national woodworking stores around that carry it too, like Rockler Hardware, so if you live near a decent sized city, there may be a Rockler near you.

Another suggestion is a Tung oil product called Waterlox. It's applies with a rag (I use a small piece of pantyhose or nylon) and the first few coats soak in and really protect. After about 3 coats, you'll start to build up a sheen, similar to a surface finish. So once you start getting that sheen, you can decide when it looks like what you want it to be.

Waterlox has to be applied in a dust free environment, but the Watco doesn't. So if I had my choice, I would choose the Watco Exterior Oil.

Some other finished you could try are products called CWF, which stands for Clear Wood Finish, and Thompson's Water Seal. Those are fairly well known and easily located.

The important thing is to really seal the bottom of your door, and the exterior face of it. Water can wick up though the bottom of a door that's not sealed, so that is VERY important. And obviously, you don't want any horizontal rain ever hitting your door and being absorbed, so the protect the outside face very carefully, too.

Good luck, I hope this helps. Feel free to write back with any other questions you might have after reading this.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV