Replacing body and roof wood kit in 30 Coupe. The wood will be exposed and really don’t plan on finishing a lot of the interior. I want to stain the wood to protect it and also give a great finish to the wood since people will be able to see it. What stain/protection coating are you guys using? Pics please
Stain won’t protect your wood. It will only change its color. For protection, if exposed to the elements, I would use varnish. If protection from the elements is not necessary you could get by with polyurethane.
If it's protection from the elements you're looking for, you can use what my grandad always called "oil varnish". I've used it all my life and it works amazingly for every type of wood there is. Hell, about ten years ago, I built a trellis for my wife out of pine that has set out in the weather. It still looks good and the wood isn't even what I would consider "dried out". Hell, after all these years the wood hasn't even grayed out that much. Its really good shit. You can wipe this stuff on or soak the wood in it. To make an oil/varnish blend, mix equal parts of oil-baseed varnish, tung or boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits. You can alter the mixture to suit your needs. More oil increases penetration and color, and slows drying. Additional mineral spirits speeds drying and decreases the thickness of the film.
Another formula that is extremely durable is a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil & turpentine. I recall it being applied to an out building that I helped with when I was 17 that shows little difference than new. I took the pieces of my wood kit for a '31 CC pick-up and immersed them in the solution for 5 weeks. You can also apply by brush, and when the wood can't absorb any more, you know it's done. When dry it leaves a rich, natural look that can be painted if desired.
Did this last summer. My "solution" was a "blend" of the above: a mix of equal parts spar varnish, tung oil and mineral spirits.
Stain alone won't do much for protection, I would recommend a oil base Spar urethane, it's made for exterior use. HRP
I agree, it is the best for this app. There are several good brands. My bathroom counter is salvaged old growth pine and has resisted water for 15 years with a spar varnish finish.
Just remember to get all of your rags out of the shop as oil based finishes have been known to cause spontaneous combustion and burn shops/houses down. We had an employee throw rags in the dumpster before they were dry and got a call that it was roaring nicely by the time the FD showed up to put it out.
Like this thread, I had been using (and using, and using!) boiled linseed oil on the strip of ash wood that goes around the rear of my front seat of my '27 T tub. As was mentioned, it takes many applications to sink in and 'dry'. With the additions of other oils/solvents as mentioned above, I have a better plan now.
Maybe consider a spar varnish from a company that sells materials like wood, paints, fiberglass etc for making wooden boats and canoes for a good spar varnish. I used 3 coats of Minwax spar varnish that was an extreme disappointment as it did not last a single year in the elements. There are spar varnishes that will survive a few years on a sailboat woodwork and cedar strip canoes.
Hello, Most of the wood we have protected on different hot rods and our sailboats over the years is a satin finish or matte finish Polyurethane Varnish. It soaks into the wood and protects it to all of the environmental things that attack wood on a daily basis. Our sailboats are/were on the water and everyday, it got a coating of salt air and moisture. That plays a bad game on the wax surfaces and definitely on the exterior wood. But, once applied in multiple coats, it lasts for a long time while being exposed to the elements. If the wood is in a place where it will constantly be stepped on or things being place on or near it, the protection will need to be upgraded sooner than other spots. Our upper rails on the cabin were wood and those stayed new the whole time we had the last sailboat. Our previous sailboat had wooden Hatchboards that were exposed to the elements, but took the brunt of sun/wind/rain/exposure when the cabin was closed up. That took some time preparing and then several coats of the Polyurethane Varnish coating. Once applied, unless we ran into it, stayed nice and clean looking. Any liquid finish on wood will slightly darken it. Staining does not make any sense if all of the wood is the same color, only protected with a good coating of Polyurethane Varnish. “For protecting wood outdoors. Featuring UV-absorbers offering unbeatable protection against the elements. The formula is a clear, non-yellowing finish that resist scratches. Extra-fast drying / apply up to 3 coats a day. Low odor and quick, easy water clean-up.” Jnaki Stains do not protect like Polyurethane compounds. So, there is that. Plus, the natural color of the wood will slightly darken and look uniform with the multiple coats of the exterior varnish. If the area does not see the light of day, then do the extra coat of Polyurethane Varnish just for added protection. Stain by itself is not the final answer. YRMV
Having owned wood Lyman boats for years I found Sikkens Cetol was easy to apply & lasted a long time exposed to the weather. Wood not exposed to weather, the finish seemed to last forever. Google it.....
We use Behr products on all our T1-11 outside Barns, they have a Paint Stain we use it was a 20 year 3 coat type, it's still working great on our three Barns today, it's been 24 year's. Behr has all kinds of excellent wood protection Paints and Stains for outdoor wood products, boats,wood furniture, home's, Barn wood siding, and much more, I use the clear stain sealer (below in pic, Green 1 gallon can) on our 12' X 16' Shed 12 year's ago, I live in the Snowbelt of Michigan and it's still like new. Check Behr Products out, no mixing if the store mixes it up for you, (unless it sets for a month or two then remix it again), you can apply it with a brush, roller,or spray it on, I like using a roller on the Barns and sheds, but a brush force's the liquid into the wood better, three coats or more if you want, let set and dry in between each coat, then the finally coat let it set until completely dry and your good for many many years of protected beautiful wood. Hope this helps as well... 1Nimrod (Dustin)
Hello, Cetol is sometimes ok on wood, but it has characteristics of changing the color of the wood surface when applied. The weather and sun do their work on the wooden surface, deck rails, cabin rails and entrance Hatchcovers, over time. So, practice on some other similar wood first. The wood on most boats is not the same wood as in old cars. But, the characteristics of wood in general apply here. Try the clear non stain Satin Polyurethane on some wood and see how it will look next to your paint color. Jnaki We used to use Cetol for an older boat, but changed over to clear satin Polyurethane for treatment against the weather and salt air for all of the other later sailboats. The Polyurethane clear, went on smoother and stayed in a satin finish mode a lot longer than most other applications. But, YRMV...
This is what I use on a wooden gate in my yard, I reapply it once a year, that gate should easily out live me. I also used it on the top wood in my A, it's not exposted to the weather, but it still looks the same a couple years later as it did when freshly applied. Something I like about using the linseed oil/turpentine mixture vs spar varnish is when it needs to be applied there is no need to scrape and sand the wood the remove dried flaky varnish, just a quick brush with a steel brush to remove built up dirt and contaminants, a quick wipe down and brush the fresh oil/turpentine mixture on and let it dry. Good stuff.
I think that the exposed wood look of these cars is the best. Paint the metal brackets and the inside of body panels with a hotrod primer color, nothing glossy. Finish it off with plated hardware. Would look very cool !! If my wood was not original and full of nail/screw holes, that is what I would do.
Tung or boiled linseed oil mixed with turpentine, as much as it will absorb. Wipe off excess and let it dry thoroughly. Then a few coats of Johnson's paste wax.
The Jalopy Journal
