Hey Gents! Looking for a natural looking outdoor sealer for my wood slats


 
J

JimV

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Hello all......I am still chuggin away at my old school grill that I still dont know what it is but that has been discussed here a few times. Anyway I am replacing all of the wood slats with poplar and have most of it complete. As I look at the grill with the bare poplar I kinda like the blonde looking wood....it really pops! My concern is that it will stain if anything greasy is set on it vs todays more modern plastic side tables. What can I use to just keep the natural poplar look while protecting it from the weather and greasy utensils ?????

Ps.....I must admit I am looking for a reasonably priced sealer.....I wish I could find a sample size because thats all I need but I will buck up and buy a quart if needed.

I assume transparent or semi transparent deck stain might not be able to block a grease stain...........I am assuming......yep I did it

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Here are a couple of pics of what the poplar looks like. I am toying with the idea of mixing some different grains in but havent made that decision yet. The slats are screwed in but they will be removed for staining. The wife let me bring the project into the kitchen island one night and I used little candy bars as spacers.....such a hack!



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I agree the light colored wood looks really good. From the research I've done, nothing short of a varnish or shellac will seal the wood. But neither of those are for outdoor use. I'm using General Finishes Outdoor Oil. Seems like it will protect some but too soon to really tell.
 
Poplar is not really the best choice to use for outdoor use. FWIW. Cedar, redwood, etc are far better choices and a simple flax seed sealer on those is good and non toxic
 
Thanks guys. I looked up the General finishes product and it is very expensive.....yikes. But I watched some vids on it and it seems to be a great product. I will check out flax seed sealer for sure. I used poplar because this grill is supposed to be a flipper and the more I keep spending on wood and other components it is really eating into the end game profits. As it turns out this ole gal might be a keeper.
I have purchased a few deck stain samples cause thats the easy route.....I applied them to some scrap but havent found a quality clear or color yet that works for me and I am not sure deck stain will block stains from greasy utensils.
 
This is what I would like my grill to look like..........I dont know who's grill this is but it was either posted here or I found it on the net somewhere. Note the light colored wood.....and it is sealed with somethin'green topper.jpg
 
If you want to use deck stain you need a high quality clear (can be tinted) oil based type. Don't waste time/money on latex or solid types. You might as well just paint it then. Look for stuff by Cabot, Sikkens/PPG, etc.
 
Roger that......I use Olympic solid stain on my deck and it has been fantastic. But the key I see is " oil based " .....for best results. Thanks for your replies. I asked the guy at Home Depot for a sample of a clear deck stain and they dont do samples of clears.....it has to be a semi or solid for sample size. Its only 4 bucks for a sample and it will easily cover my project. I will check Lowes for Cabbot, or Sikkens........and maybe even a paint shop......
 
Hell I bought my Sikkens stain on Amazon. Got 5 gallon can for only a little more than the local dealer wanted for 1 gallon! I stained it once (badly), still had plenty so 3 years later hired someone to do it and use my stain, I still have enough to do at least the floor area again
 
JimV said:
Roger that......I use Olympic solid stain on my deck and it has been fantastic. But the key I see is " oil based " .....for best results. Thanks for your replies. I asked the guy at Home Depot for a sample of a clear deck stain and they dont do samples of clears.....it has to be a semi or solid for sample size. Its only 4 bucks for a sample and it will easily cover my project. I will check Lowes for Cabbot, or Sikkens........and maybe even a paint shop......
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Jim this is really such a personal choice only you can answer the question. I kind of disagree it has to be oil the waterborne finishes have come along way dry faster and I have used that Behr product I believe you are referring to. I used the redwood natural tone and yes its 4 bucks I wish they had the clear in the sample would have loved to have tried it.

Here is a 1000 I did which went to my daughter. https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-PR...Wood-Stain-and-Sealer-Sample-507716/203739084

To me the color looks more like Cedar but my eyes aren't what they used to be. Advantages cheap 8oz can more than enough to do the job with product left over for future touch ups or whatever, can do two coats on one side on a Saturday finish two coats on Sunday and you are done has held up very well I was to lazy to do spar and I wanted some color that is me.

Larry is correct the solid stain will look more like paint here is the wood for a grill I did for my buddy he wanted to save the original wood which required some wood filler so solid stain was the only choice, same product as up above but in a solid formula he picked the color looks nice but it is a different look.

If you type in spar varnish in a search you will see some examples in the threads of people who wanted to keep the wood natural. Its time consuming so if you don't care about that knock yourself out. Helmsman makes a good product they make it in an oil and water based product now the water based more money its not meant for decks but your not using it on a deck. Mccloskey Man of War Marine spar is another good product but expensive, Jon Tofte has used it so he can chime in here.

I wish the pictures were better but hopefully gives you an idea. Semi on the left solid on the right.

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Hey Brian I sure appreciate the time you took to give me such a thorough reply. You do amazing work! Those grills look fantastic. You are right this is kind of a personal decision and so many factors come into play especially keep or flip. I know myself and although I have OCD tendencies I am also very impatient and I dont see myself performing a long process to get these wood slats looking museum quality....... 2 coats maybe a light sand in between and I am done. Ultimately I want a natural looking clear on this blonde wood that wont yellow over time. I did try a minwax sample that was pretty darn good but when I put my old man glasses to read the label it said for in door use :( . Ironically I have had that sample on my patio table for about 2 months in the sun and the rain and it still looks great.
I appreciate everyone's replies......I am learning on the fly and the knowledge from the forum helps speed up the process for me.
 
JimV,
You do want to avoid polyurethane which works great for indoor use, but NOT outdoor. Spar varnish, like the McCloskey Man O War Brian mentioned is a marine grade urethane for exterior use. I was very happy with my application of it and would use it again. On the other hand, some of the other ideas mentioned above I am sure will work well, too. McCloskey is pricey but it does have a really good reputation. I am sure Helmsman's spar urethane is good as well.
 
Thanks Jon.......I will look into those. A quick search shows Man O war is some pretty expensive stuff. That said a quart could probably do a whole summer worth of rehabs so its probably worth it.
 
I've been using Helmsman Spar Varnish for a few years now on slats and handles. I get about 2 years of protection before the sun will take its toll in dulling the finish. But its usually just the top of the side tray that's exposed to the direct noontime sun that displays the wear. I just remove the tray, hit it with the sander, and brush on a few more coats. I'm afraid that Poplar even sealed with whatever finish you decide on, will 'check' in the outdoor elements ( I learned the hard way on this years ago). I searched our area for a hardwood dealer and he hooks me up with Yellow Cedar or Cypress planks for very reasonable prices. I can rip many slats and handles out of each plank. I even had one person I did a grill for that ask me not to use any finish on the Cypress slats. Two years later the slats have taken on a dull grey hue and stayed straight, no checking/warping. He's happy with the way it looks.
 
Thanks Bob.....
Are you leaving your grill uncovered and getting 2 years life from the stain or covered? I love that look!
 
PS....when u say the cheaper poplar will " check up " on me.....what do u mean? Warp....or just wont hold the stain well?
 
JimV said:
PS....when u say the cheaper poplar will " check up " on me.....what do u mean? Warp....or just wont hold the stain well?
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Jim its just not a good choice of wood for exterior use. I meant to comment before also when you mentioned trying to do 2 coats of spar and be done that is not reality as if you read the instructions on the Helmsman new wood its recommended 3 coats. I kind of guess many of the people here who did spar might have done 4 coats.

This is what a lot of people use for the wood slats including myself. You need to go thru a lot of boards as you want them knot free, these are sold at HD also. On one side its a rough finish no big deal I just ran an orbital sander over that side quick the other side is smooth. The cedar is going to be a much better solution than the popular which is really meant for inside use furniture or whatever.

 
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