any suggestions?

[Ernie]

We are building a deck from Eucalyptus Saligna and cladding a wall in RS redwood.  Being simple country  pensioner peasants, we are not made of money and need suggestions for a good cheap  oil finish which will preserve the beautiful colours of both the Euc and the redwood.  The price of almost $800.00  :D :D :D that we have got for a "Cabots" oil finish  is a bit much.  A friend suggested chain bar oil but with no driers in it, I wonder if it would remain slippery.

The total area of decking will eventually be about 70 Sq M (820 sq ft) and the wall will be about 25 Sq M (300 sq ft).

We have recently milled the timbers and  have installed them green.  Probably not the best way to go but at my age, I cannot afford to wait for things to dry :( :( :(

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys and gals

[Phorester]

I'm not familiar at all with the woods you are using, so my comments might be way offbase.

Here in the US we have several commercial deck preservatives.  Two I've used on our treated southern pine deck over the years are Thompsons WaterSeal and Wolman Raincoat Water Repellent.  In addition to protecting the wood, they both create a nice look with the wood grain, similiar to what varnish or polyurethane would do in that regard.  Personally I like the look of our deck after using Wolman better than Thompsons. Much cheaper than the cabots oil you mentioned.

[Steve]

I've tried all variety of finishes on picnic tables over the years. Thompsons water seal is a good standby, although our all time favorite we found recently is Inwood but don't know if is available in New Zealand.

Steve

[logwalker]

I use and highly recommend the Sikkens finishes. SRD is about $25 a gallon US. If you need more free advice just give some more details on the job as to exposure and all. Joe

[low_48]

I just saw a recipe in the Aug 1999 Fine Woodworking. The article was by Chris Minick and he says he uses this on his deck every two years. The article says it is based on the formula developed by the USDA Forest Products Lab in Madison, Wi.

1 gal mineral spirits
2 oz. pariffin wax (canning wax)
1 qt. exterior varnish
1/4 oz. burnt sienna tinting color
1/4 oz. raw umber tinting color

add the mineral spirits in a 2 1/2 gal bucket
shave the wax into small curls into the bucket and use a drill with a paint stirrer until the wax is disolved
add and mix in the varnish
mix in the tint ( this mix will give a redwood tone. The tint will help reflect UV light)
add a fungicide if you live in a hot, humid area
Apply with a pump up garden sprayer and blot up any runs with a pad painter. Apply two coats, waiting 24 hours between coats. A coat every two years keeps the deck looking new.

I can't verify if this works, just saw the recipe looking for another article.

[ohsoloco]

A co-worker showed me his brother-in-law's camp last year done in white pine board and batten siding.  He bought a bunch of 5 gallon buckets of hydraulic oil and just rolled it on.  That oil is almost clear.  Looked real nice...I think he recoats every few years. 

[Phorester]

That reminds me of a common treatment used decades ago on interior floors and the porches of the country stores in the South.  They'd just put on a coat of diesel fuel every few years.  Smelled pretty strong at first, but these were the days before air conditioning and central heat.  They'd do it in spring or fall when it was not too hot or cold outside and just leave the doors open during business until the smell dissipated.

Made the floors dark with contrasts between the light and dark grains, made them slick.  Easier to sweep out too.