Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - best finish for outdor furniture

What is the best finish for wooden outdoor furniture? I have heard that polyurethene, tung oil and linseed oil are all good.
Thanks, Anita

Paint, tung oil, marine spar varnish come to mind. Paint would be the best.

Hope this helps.

Anita,

Tung oil isn't enough protection. Marine spar varnish will be peeling in a year or less, believe me, I've tried it on cedar adirondack chiars- they are peeling badly. The sun's uv is a killer!!
(Now you know why wooden boat owners are always working on their boats - been there too).

But alas, my first adirondack in pt pine was painted hunter green about five years ago and is holding up very well. Okay, I just went down and checked. I used Painter's Touch indoor/outdoor latex by Rust-Oleum. I made sure the wood was very dry and put on two coats, didn't even prime it. After a couple years it only chipped off where I plugged the screw holes. I just touched it up.

fred

I will check into what you suggested however,
I want to keep the natural look, not a color.
Thanks for your prompt reply.
Anita

OR,
you can use a standard semi-transparant oil base deck stain. Some give UV protection. But they will need to be re-done in two or three years.

fred

if you are looking for the cheapest way to protect the wood on out door furniture?

if you want clear/natural finish you can use pure tung oil at 55 a gal.

or you can just mix motor oil with paint thinner and apply that to the wood.

you wont be able to use the furniture for a few days.

i do my mothers deck and the picnic table with motor oil (new)

for the deck i use three parts paint thinner to one part motor oil and spray it on with a pump sprayer, that one would use for weed killing.

i just re oil the deck each spring after the rains, for the sun is the main problem where my mother lives.

if your main problem is rain/snow then apply the oil/thinner in the fall before winter.

just clean with a brush in the spring, and if needed apply another coat of oil.

hey it works for me and it is cheap.
when you apply paint or a poly, where ever it chips the rain gets in under and that is where the probs begin.

with the oil you dont have to refinish anything just clean and add more.

raise your picnic table off the ground for winter with bricks.

i repaired a picnic table that was falling apart (20yrs) the base was fine just the table and seat boards were rotten. it had been finished with a varnish or something similiar.
i oiled it last summer once done and again just before winter.
the winter here was pretty harsh, (my first here) so i cleaned it last week and added more oil.
the water beeds up just fine.
the underneath of the table didnt need anything done to it.