Need help with finish for Merbau Timbre

Hi All,

I would really appreciate some advice from learned woodworkers to an amateur here with regard to finishing and protecting some merbau finger jointed timbre.


I live 60 K's north of Melbourne, and we have a front deck on our house which i am renovating. I am also installing some steps from the ground level up to the deck so we can actually have a front door (yes the deck was built without any entrance.) the step treads will be 250 x 50 laminated Merbau.


I have removed all the treated pine that was installed as decking handrails and i am about replace it with laminated Merbau 140 x 32.
The hand rails on the side of the steps will be paired back to 90mm x 32 FJ Merbau, laminated.

The deck itself (which is in place) is also Merbau and what ever it's been attempted to be finished in by the previous owners didnt work. (i'll be sanding it back to bare timbre)


The handrails on the deck will be mainly weather protected as we have a roof over the deck, but will still cop lashing rain and direct sun but not overhead summer sun.
The step hand rails and treads will be exposed to weather all year round.
The decking timbres like the handrails will be mostly covered by the roof section.


My question is, i'd like to spend the time properly preparing the timber (handrails, treads & deck) with the right products to maintains it's beauty and to minimise maintenance, keeping in mind this is not a million dollar property so i have to consider the cost of the products and perhaps sacrifice some additional maintenance for the cost i'm willing to pay.

We prefer to use water based products.
we are looking for a satin finish with no stain (just want the natural timbre color)
We are certainly looking for a finish where brush marks are not visible (this is probably more applicable to the handrails & treads)

Anyway guys, - i would really appreciate any advice or ideas you have for me to get the best result.

Thanks Heaps.
Garron

Hi,

there is a sister site to this called renovateforums.com. You might find many posts with answers on similar questions there.

I am in Brisbane but my experience of oil and clear finishes on extrnal timbers on houses and boats is that they require a lot of work to maintain. That means re-oiling a deck every six months with a good decking oil. Now I let my jetty walkway go grey!

I have used Deks Olje on external Australian Cedar doors and jambs and have gotten away with renewing it every two years. One advantage of that set of oil finishes is that you can just lightly sand and recoat if you do so before the timber goes grey or black.

I have only used the water based clear finishes on interior architectural elements. Once those finishes deteriorate you may have to completely remove them before applying more of same or other finish. That is painful work.

I am sure others will have more experience and advice.

good luck with it.

David

Hi Garron, Haymes make a couple of products called Uvex and Dexpress, specifically for Merbau and other decking timbers. They claim 6 times and 4 times longer respectively than other decking finishes. Might be worth checking out.

Their catalogue:
http://www.haymespaint.com.au/assets...ject-guide.pdf

Welcome to the forums, too, mate.

Regardless of whether you end up using a 'penetrating oil' to finish the deck or use plastic 'overcoat,' Merbau is a naturally oily timber (partly why it's so popular for external timbers) and this can/will affect the quality of any finish.

After sanding it's a good idea to lightly wash down the surface with something to remove any residual oils (including oils from bare feet, etc. while sanding!) and letting it dry before applying the finish.

For furniture I'd wipe it down with acetone, but for a deck I use... Napisan! It works. A clean bucket & new mop-head are important... there's no good in removing the oils if you're replacing 'em with other contaminants!

This only removes the surface oils long enough for the finish to penetrate/adhere. If you leave the timber overnight before finishing, sub-surface oils will seep back to the surface, meaning you have to remove them all over again.


I dislike the 'plastic overcat' type finishes with a passion and don't use them, so I'll refrain from any comments there... however, I've yet to come across any penetrating style decking oil that won't last a couple of years before a recoat is needed. By the same token, I've yet to see any deck oil that doesn't look better if it's given a recoat every year. :rolleyes:

You don't necessarily need to lightly sand annually, although IMHO it's always a good idea. You SHOULD clean off any built-up contaminants (dare I say it again? Napisan!) before recoating, whether you sand or not.

(I'm assuming that your deck, being pre-existing hence aged to some degree, is NOT showing signs of bleeding out tannins all over the place? Some pieces of Merbau are so oil/sap saturated that they will leave stains no matter how the timber is sealed. :sigh: )