If they are going to be outside and are not an antique, I would
recommend coating them with clear two part epoxy sealer. Woodcraft
sells a brand called Mirrorcoat. The two liquids are mixed together,
and then the solution hardens to form a hard plastic coating. The only
problem is cost: a medium sized kit costs about 30 dollars. However,
your application doesn't seem extremely demanding and the coverage can
probably be fairly thin. I am working on refinishing a formerly
bathroom sink and countertop made entirely out of one solid block of
old growth redwood. I am going to place the sink outside as a garden
sink, and I am going to use Mirrorcoat to finish wood to protect it
from the elements as well as from the water in the sink.
On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 15:37:30 -0500, "Mandy"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>My neighbor just found a couple of old wooden theater seats. How can he best protect it from weather? What sort of coating would
>you recommend?
Take them to an antique dealer first for evaluation [and possible
advice.] A neighbour of mine was having a yard sale and about to
unload a chair for $20. I told him to take it to a dealer. He did,
and has been collecting ever since. It was a nursing rocker, worth
over $250 at the time. A dealer I know showed me an item hanging on a
barn wall after the auction, and said he was going to offer to buy it.
He asked what I would do. I said I'd burn it. He said it was a chair
[it looked like a pile of sticks] and he could tell me who made it and
when. He intended to resell at a very large profit to someone else
who I suppose knew the value of a pile of sticks, and who would again
resell it at a profit.