Making my own finish. Where to get U.V. inhibitors

hackberry jake · May 30, 2012, 09:14:45 PM

I would like to try my hand at making exterior wood finish. I know spar-urethane works well, but it's $40+ a gallon and for something like a fence, that would be a lot of $$! I have tried sample boards of cedar with everything from car wax to used motor oil. Nothing seems to keep it from turning gray. The next thing I am going to try is beeswax dissolved in turpentine. I have looked for uv inhibitors online and found some for candles. Will that work? I haven't found much in the area of natural uv inhibitors. There has to be some in nature somewhere I would think. I'll keep looking and testing I guess. I have read elsewhere that you can buy exterior paint that is un-tinted and its a good source of uv-inhibitors and it dries clear. I might try that. Do you guys have any experience you would like to share?

woodmills1 · May 30, 2012, 09:17:44 PM

are you looking for clear?

try new motor oill 50 50 with diesel

looking for color send back use uncle Larry walnut

hackberry jake · May 30, 2012, 09:50:16 PM

Yeah, as clear as I can get and still be effective. I had a test section with new motor oil, but it was synthetic. It turned gray.

Tree Feller · May 30, 2012, 11:07:08 PM

You are searching for the holy grail of outdoor finishes... a clear finish that will keep wood from turning gray and is relatively inexpensive. If you find/develop it, remember us poor folks here on the forum. ;D

Sikkens Cetol is a translucent base that contains UV blockers. I've not used it but have read that it's fairly effective. The ultimate, translucent outdoor finish is epoxy followed by Epifanes Marine varnish. It would be hideously expensive to coat a fence, though. I use Epifanes Clear Gloss varnish on outdoor furniture but it has to be scuff sanded and re-applied every 2-3 years. It's also about $40 for 1000 ml.

tyb525 · May 30, 2012, 11:10:48 PM

The wood is going to discolor eventually, and any varnish-type finish will need refinished periodically as it will peel. I think you will find there is a reason the finish you are trying to develop is pretty pricey already made

ScottAR · May 30, 2012, 11:19:22 PM

My experience involves automotive finishes but the chemistry is likely somewhat similar. The difference between a $80 clear coat system and a $300 system is mostly the type and amount of UV inhibitors with similar performance reflective of their cost.

This is to say that the the UV inhibitors are the single most expensive part of the material.

hackberry jake · May 30, 2012, 11:50:42 PM

Sometimes people just need to be shot down. I think I am going to keep looking though. It's been kinda fun seeing what different fluids do to the wood. The most interesting one so far to me has been dot-3 brake fluid. It bleached the wood pretty good and it looks like it pulled some of the color out of the heartwood and ran onto the sapwood. I guess it's the mad scientist in me ;D

Lud · May 31, 2012, 06:54:55 AM

Woodcraft had a new product called ONE Time and a client agreed it was right for a large exterior table out of old barn beams so we got a couple of gallons and I put it on last week.

No VOC's but a bit fumey. Seemed like a thin molasses but great penetration and they claim 7 year exterior life. Felt way different from a poly.

Wouldn't use it on a fence! Bit pricey!

tyb525 · May 31, 2012, 10:50:54 PM

Waterlox marine sealer is a great outdoor finish. Penetration is key, not a film on the surface only. Looks like it stands up well to UV.

hackberry jake · June 01, 2012, 01:28:40 AM

From the research I've done, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the main two natural uv inhibitors. A little bit goes a long way as well. You can get 1lb of zinc oxide for around $15. It is usually mixed at 3-5 % of the weight of the finish. So if I mix it heavy, one lb should be enough for 20lbs of finish.

shelbycharger400 · November 11, 2012, 07:13:23 PM

I know its an old post here, but it fits well
I did get a qt of behr deep base tintable base, its waterbase in the silver label.
That stuff is thick as cold honey. It needs to be thinned out a bit. I did a comparison to some varthane floor waterbase semi gloss.
The varthane is thinner than milk, it soaks into the wood more and is shines a lot more. Personally I think its a bit thin, this is why I still have 2 gal of it. The behr is a semi-gloss, I had to rub off so much of it to get it to dry. One light coat is visually nearly similar to 5-7 coats of waterbase urethane.
I did some tests on boxelder, Red cedar, and Black jack oak.
Consensus is for now, I did use some toung oil natural under both. the behr over oil looked very nice. Im going to thin it and do some more tests.

Axe Handle Hound · November 11, 2012, 07:26:04 PM

As others have stated, if you can come up with a clear, long term, inexpensive outdoor finish you will be a wealthy man soon thereafter. Just as an idea, have you considered regular pressure washing as a solution to keeping the natural color of the fence? The wood will gray no matter what you do, but if hit it with the pressure washer a few times a year it should keep the bright colors showing through and it's pretty fast. The bad part is it will tend to eat up your fence boards a bit and make them fuzzy. Just a thought anyway.