finish for mahogany porch flooring?

[Cathy Friedmann]

I just had the flooring of my (roofed & screened) porch replaced - house was
built in 1920. The old porch flooring was T&G fir, painted with porch
paint. The new one is mahogany T&G.

I live in the NE - hot summers & cold, snowy winters. The porch is
semi-protected w/a roof & floor-to-ceiling screening, but snow does sift in,
& it can get wet from a driving rain.

I can paint the floor w/ a traditional light gray porch paint, or leave the
wood natural, with a clear protective coating. If I decide to leave it w/a
clear finish - the mahogany wood showing, what clear finish should I use?

Thanks -

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

[Andrew Duane USG]

In article <9qg2tr$nt3vg$1...@ID-103542.news.dfncis.de> "Cathy Friedmann" <cl...@adelphia.net> writes:
>I can paint the floor w/ a traditional light gray porch paint, or leave the
>wood natural, with a clear protective coating. If I decide to leave it w/a
>clear finish - the mahogany wood showing, what clear finish should I use?

We used the CWF sealer on our mahogany deck, which is exposed to the
New Hampshire winters. So far (2.5 years) it is holding up well. It
is a highly rated product. We didn't use clear, we used one with a small
amount of tint in it that darkened and "enriched" the wood slightly.

Pratt & Lambert and Cabots are two other good brands. Stay away from
cheap brands, especially Thompsons. It is useless for an inside deck.

--

Andrew L. Duane (JOT-7) du...@zk3.dec.com
Compaq Computer Corporation (603)-884-1294
110 Spit Brook Road
M/S ZKO3-3/U14
Nashua, NH 03062-2698

[Harvey V]

On 16 Oct 2001, I take it that du...@hunch.zk3.dec.com (Andrew Duane

USG) wrote:
> In article <9qg2tr$nt3vg$1...@ID-103542.news.dfncis.de> "Cathy
> Friedmann" <cl...@adelphia.net> writes:

>> I can paint the floor w/ a traditional light gray porch paint, or
>> leave the wood natural, with a clear protective coating. If I
>> decide to leave it w/a clear finish - the mahogany wood showing,
>> what clear finish should I use?

-snip-

> We didn't use clear, we used one with a small amount of tint in it
> that darkened and "enriched" the wood slightly.

An enriching-colour finish sounds a lot better to me than putting down
a decent wood like mahogany, and then painting over it with grey paint.
That seems a waste of good material to me.

Just my 2c; I'd do what you did, rather than paint it.

Harvey

[NOSPAMBOB]

NO PAINT please. Try wiping some Bouiled Linseed Oil on a scrap then put
selected finish on oiled and unoiled for comparison. Waterbased finishes don't
cause an amber shift like oil based finishes do. Flecto makes a highly
regarded floor finish and would be high on my short list but don't know if it
is suitable for exterior. I'd love to visit to see it! Find a hobbiest
woodworker for final scrap pile as it makes GREAT boxes, pretty wood.

In article <9qh7va$8ovi$1...@lead.zk3.dec.com>, du...@hunch.zk3.dec.com (Andrew
Duane USG) writes:

>We used the CWF sealer on our mahogany deck, which is exposed to the
>New Hampshire winters. So far (2.5 years) it is holding up well. It
>is a highly rated product. We didn't use clear, we used one with a small
>amount of tint in it that darkened and "enriched" the wood slightly.

Name works for E-mail

[Cathy Friedmann]

Thanks - will look into these.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

Andrew Duane USG <du...@hunch.zk3.dec.com> wrote in message
news:9qh7va$8ovi$1...@lead.zk3.dec.com...

[Cathy Friedmann]

Well, the original (fir) porch floor was painted light gray - & serves as
the 3rd color in the house's color scheme (white w/ dk. green
shutters/door), & all of the inside floors, save the bath, are oak - even
the kitchen, so painting the porch floor a light gray wouldn't particularly
bother me - it's not as if there's a dearth of nice wood floors in this
house. ;-) But the thought of the paint eventually chipping, & then
re-painting - creating a bumpy finish in the future - is part of the reason
I'm thinking of leaving it w/ a clear finish over the wood, besides the fact
that the wood itself may be nice - left showing. Another reason - dirt
wouldn't show nearly as much on mahogany as it would on light gray. <g>

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

NOSPAMBOB <nosp...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011016141823...@nso-fy.aol.com...

[Henry Douglas]

Flecto floor finish is NOT suited for exterior floors, it is an interior finish
only.

Henry
Flecto Demonstrator

[Cathy Friedmann]

Thanks, that answers that question.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

Henry Douglas <wud...@ripnet.com> wrote in message
news:3BCCAEB9...@ripnet.com...

[Unknown]

>I can paint the floor w/ a traditional light gray porch paint, or leave the
>wood natural, with a clear protective coating. If I decide to leave it w/a
>clear finish - the mahogany wood showing, what clear finish should I use?

Spar varnish. Treat it like a boat and you'll be happy. :)

Jeff

[Cathy Friedmann]

<Jeff Cochran> wrote in message
news:kosqst09qfu28apbm...@4ax.com...

Makes sense, it would seem, but I think someone else mentioned that when he
did this w/ his solid wood front door, that the clear finish dried & peeled
in the sun. Or was he talking about a different marine finish?

[William Brown]

My experience is that spar varnish holds up well in all weather,
including sun (it has UV protection built in). I don't, however, think
it is suitable for a deck for two reasons: first, it doesn't stand up to
abrasion well and you would end up with a lot of scratching and
scuffing; and second, you would have a deck so slick that it would be
hazardous when wet. I've been on a lot of boats, and have not seen one
that has varnish on the deck.

--
SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is
there.

[Cathy Friedmann]

Thanks - you're saying the spar varnish is used only on boats, then, where
there is no foot traffic? What is/was used on the inside of beautiful wood
interiors & decks of yachts/boats?

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

William Brown <wbr...@apkh.net> wrote in message
news:3BCF449D...@apk.net...

[Henry Douglas]

Cathy:

There is a product called Cetol, made in Germany I think, that will give you and
do what you want. It is basically an oil finish but stands up extremely well to
traffic and sunlight. A lot of boats that have mahagony on them use this
product to preserve the wood from salt water or dampness (fresh water). I am
from Canada and we buy it from marine supply places or places where boats are
serviced. Try a local marina for more information. I know you can find it on
the web by searching either Dogpile.com or Google.com and type in Cetol.

Henry
Brockville, Ontario

[Cathy Friedmann]

Thanks - another idea to look up/into.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

Henry Douglas <wud...@ripnet.com> wrote in message
news:3BCF6AEE...@ripnet.com...

[Cathy Friedmann]

I just realized: this is the second endorsement for this product - Sikkens
Cetol DEK, so will probably give it extra consideration, after talking w/
people at the paint store &/or local boat place.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon

Cathy Friedmann <cl...@adelphia.net> wrote in message
news:9qo4ld$p7nd1$1...@ID-103542.news.dfncis.de...

[William Brown]

In my opinion, spar varnish is the finest varnish you can buy, and I use
it throughout my house, but for an interior application without exposure
to sun, other varnishes may do just as well. On boats, it is used on
spars (!), and trim, even interior applications, and often on seats, but
I have never seen it used on decks, which are, if wood, usually
unfinished teak.

As for Cetol, it has its advocates and detractors. I have never used
it, but from what I have heard it is easier to apply, but has a color
that some find unattractive. Try it on a sample and see how you like
it.

[patricia...@gmail.com]

We, in 2020 are in the same situation as CathFriedman Cathy may I ask what you finally used and how it held up?

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/22/2020 6:41 AM, patricia...@gmail.com wrote:
> We, in 2020 are in the same situation as CathFriedman Cathy may I ask what you finally used and how it held up?
>

I would use a good oil finish, like Penofin.