I'M LOSING MY MIND!
I am building a new grill table for my Large Big Green Egg out of Cedar. The amount of finishing/sealing options is driving me crazy.
Here's the situation:
– Cedar Table
-Stays outside
-HAS A TABLE COVER (so UV shouldn't be a big factor)
-in Alabama, so hot and humid and rain, but again there’s a cover
Here's what I'm looking for:
– keep the natural wood color as much as possible
– prevent the table from graying
– prevent mold and mildew
– easy-ish to clean/little to no staining (from food and charcoal)
– semi waterproof/water resistant (again it has a cover)
– I'm not doing food prep on the table, but the closer to food safe the better
– I’d prefer not film finishes (see the Wood Whisperer's outdoor finishes video for why)
– I understand there will be maintenance and reapplication required with any finish, especially the ones I want
Here are the products I’ve been looking at:
(I believe all of these should be non film)
– Rubio Monocoat Hybrid Wood Protector (current front runner)
– Pure Tung Oil (walrus oil)
– Penofin Verde
– The Real Milk Paint Co – Outdoor Defense Oil
– osmo
– waterlox
Any other suggestions would helpful. I’m new to most of this. 😊
by LMBKIV98
16 Comments
Sorry I can’t help with your finish discussion, but I am impressed with what you’ve done so far. Makes me jealous. I’m not able to do something like that. Good luck and I’ll be following your post. I hope to see pictures as a progress along to your first cook using your table.
I really like the look of oil, but I don’t think it will wear as durably as you would like. Curious to see what kinds of suggestions you get, maybe cross post to a woodworking subreddit?
I’m in a similar situation and many suggested spar urathane.
Im a big fan of the RMP outdoor defense oil. Applied correctly, it should last for years and years.
Side note, lovely build.
I used Osmo UV – protection oil on the cedar table I built, not sure if it’s available in the states, but mine is under a cover for the winters and exposed all summer and it’s been 3yrs and I’ve not needed to re-coat it yet.
https://osmouk.com/product/uv-protection-oil/
Edit: great looking table by the way!
Wow, first I’ve seen one so similar to mine which is cedar, 4×4 legs on casters, pocket screw construction except I used 1×2 for all the framing and put granite under the egg and a granite insert top shelf so I could drip on it and wipe it off rather than the wood.
Anyway, I’ve now refinished it 3 times and complained about it 3 times. I have not found anything that stands up if you want it to keep looking cedar golden and pretty and have a solid finish that you can wipe off drips. Everything I’ve tried cracks within a couple years. I’ve been disassembling, sanding and refinishing every few years. It’s a real PITA.
Oil finishes don’t protect well from food oils and sealers will eventually crack. My best recommendation is to get a table cover and use it to maximize the finish life of whatever you use. FWIW I built mine the size of the BGE table so I could use their cover and it’s surprisingly water tight and has lasted a long time and still looks good.
I went down this rabbit hole, ended up using Australian Timber oil, but I applied it only within the last couple of months
No need to jump into the wood finishing abyss. Sand it, stain it if you like or go natural, seal it with a marine grade sealer.
Au naturale.
Your putting a lot of shear on those pocket hole screws that are not designed for shear. That is why the cross beams are traditionally inset.
Australian timber oil is my go-to for sealing outdoor wood including my cedar fence.
Looks great man! Out of curiosity, how thick are the boards that the egg will rest on? With how heavy these guys are, will the boards hold up and not sag after while?
Spar varnish for boats. Absolutely the best for that climate. Designed to last forever against UV, and, more importantly, water. Brings out the natural color in the wood. You’ll probably never need to finish it again if you keep it covered.
Did you get plans for this? If so, care to share?
Beautiful table! I recommend either Ready Seal or TWP. Neither one will let you down. I had cypress post on my old house with Man-o-war spar urethane, after 2 summers they had to be refinished. Sanded them down to bare wood and used Ready Seal. It’s easy to use and is a great product!
Go with the old timey mix of beeswax and mineral oil.