AboutGreg Scholl Expertise Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects,Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings of all kinds.
Experience Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Sold, built, serviced, setup Home,Industrial and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools, and offered instruction on use and care as well.I even have some Trade show Demo experience.
Organizations none at this time.
Publications Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how"), local newspapers as well
Education/Credentials Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field.Seminars by Major tool manufacturers, Delta, Powermatic, Performax, Porter Cable, Skil/Bosch to name a few.
Past/Present Clients Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT.(the Antiques capital of CT.) Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.), local Museums and Historical Societies.
Question QUESTION: I have built a new privacy fence around my property made of Cedar pickets. I want to preserve the natural color of the wood as it is. I do not want the wood to weather, as most fences do, and turn gray. Also, I don't want to have apply something every year, or every other year. After doing a little research on the internet, it seems the best choice for me is varnish. Apply a few coats, and it will protect for a long time. Have you ever done this, or is there another finish that would garnish better results? Thanks for your time, Scott
ANSWER: Hi Scott, do not varnish an outdoor Cedar fence. First of all Cedar is quite resinous and will not allow the varnish to adhere for long, second it will fail rather quickly, leaving you with a peeling, flaking mess. What you want is a penetrating oil finish, that is not a surface finish like a varnish. You must wait for a few months to allow the Cedar to weather a little before applying any finish, and you will have to reapply it yearly or at least every other year. It also comes in colors to help maintain the rich original colored look during it's lifespan, but it is really just tinted to help it resemble the original look. There is no magic finish that will maintain the original color under the extremes of sun, wind, and weather, period. The wood will weather, and will eventually start to turn Grey, it can't be avoided forever, it's just the nature of wood as a building product. If you're not willing to maintain it, on at least a yearly basis, you won't be able to stop the natural weathering process, and it will turn silvery Grey.....you can't fight Mother Nature.....I like the Flood product line...investigate here: http://www.flood.com/flood/Products/Exterior/WoodTones+Stain+Prod+Pg.htm
Hope that helps- post back if need be- Regards- Greg
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QUESTION: Yeah, I have heard similar stories in the past, however, how do you explain log cabins? They are wood exposed to the rigors of weather (many in snowy weather). They do not require yearly maintenance, and they stay the tannish wood color for a long time. Couldn't I use the same product that they use on log cabins?
Answer Hey Scott, thats how you explain it....they use these
types of finishes, and they do need maintenance eventually as all wood surfaces will. Here's a good site to poke around on... http://www.wrcla.org/installation_and_finishing/finishing_other_projects/default...
Log homes are usually prefinished with a variety of sealers/penetrating stain products depending on the climat and desired look and level of protection, when shipped for construction, the logs are cut, notched and finished before being stacked and numbered for assembly....regards- Greg
