Finishing Outdoor Projects
You're investing time and money in a project -- you not only want it to look great, but you also want to enjoy it both now and in the future.  When you're making a project that is going to be staying outdoors, getting it to look great is often easier than getting it to stay looking great for years of abuse by the rain, snow, wind, and sun.  The elements take their toll on everything eventually, but there are a few things you can do to lessen the effects of mother nature on wooden projects.

Most of us live in places where the rain and snow can make short work of wooden projects we put in the yard. Few of us have the luxury of living in an area that gets 0" of rainfall per year -- and if you do live there, then likely you have to worry about damage caused by the sun.  We'll assume that you live in Minnesota or Montana, that is, someplace where the snow and rain are about as nasty as it gets.  Let's take a project and walk through what we would do to protect it.

A popular project around Christmas time is reindeer for the yard.  These projects call for 3/8" to 1/2" plywood.  Most of us, due to cost, must use regular construction grade plywood which costs around $20-30 (yikes!) per 4'x8' sheet.  This material needs alot of protection and preparation in order to make it last.  You can also opt for pressure-treated plywood which may run about $30-40 per sheet, but offers some added protection from water through the use of chemicals.  If you want to go all out, you can use marine plywood. This is going to cost around $70 per 4'x8' sheet, but the water-proof nature of this aptly-named plywood is worth it's weight in gold -- your project is sure to last for years if you can afford it.

Inspect the plywood.  You will probably find that the flat surfaces have some knots, cracks, or crevasses.  Any of these spots are bad for your project, as water WILL get in there and sit, rotting your project from the inside out. You need to fill these areas in with a wood putty.  Get a small pail of wood putty/filler, a putty knife, and fill all holes, knots, cracks, etc., so you end up with a "hole-free" material.  You do not want water to be able to seep in ANYwhere.  After the wood putty is dry, sand it smooth to the contour of the surface and wipe down the lumber with a damp cloth to remove the sanding dust.

Before you begin tracing your project pattern onto the plywood, go ahead and coat the plywood with a latex primer that is close in color to what the finishing coat will be. For white reindeer, white primer is the obvious choice. Go ahead and coat both sides of the wood, covering the general area that you will be cutting out.  Some people prefer to do the cutting first, then the priming and painting -- it's really up to you as the builder.

Next you will need to get any pattern lines you have onto the wood.  Trace the patterns onto the plywood and cut out all the pieces of the project.  We recommend using transfer paper to get your patterns onto the wood -- this method allowing you to transfer your patterns without cutting them (so you can use them again later).  Another option is to cut out the actual patterns and tape or glue them temporarily to the wood and trace around them, though this ruins the patterns.

Examine the edges of all pieces of your project as there are likely cracks or holes resulting from the "sandwiched" nature of the plys in the plywood, which often fall out after cutting.  If you discover a hole, crack, or other place water could seep in, fill it with more wood putty, allow to dry, sand flush, and wipe down with a damp cloth as previously mentioned.

Once final wood puttying is finished and has dried, your project is ready for another coat (or 1st and 2nd) of primer.  Apply a 2nd coat of latex primer, or even a 3rd if you are really ambitious.  Allow the paint to dry and then re-examine the surfaces for holes, cracks, etc..  If you find any more holes, fill with wood putty and re-coat with primer.

You're finally ready for the top coat of paint.  Though you may choose to finish your project with latex primer and this format provides adequate protection, oil-based paint is always going to provide a better seal .  Oil-based paints are clearly a much bigger hassle to clean up and deal with in general, but the trade off is better protection -- it's up to the builder.  As the wood is already sealed, go ahead and apply top coats until you are satisfied with the way your project looks.

The amount of protection we have already applied is more than many people take the time to do,
so let's go a couple of steps further for an even more weather-resistant wooden project.

Hydrocoating. This is what will really make the rain and snow run off the wood, reflect the harmful UV rays of the sun, and provide the final barrier of protection for your new wooden project.  We recommend a clear coat polyeurethane.  Coat your project two to three times with polyeurethane, allowing drying time in between each coat.  Be sure to coat the edges even better than you do the face of the wood, as the end grain of wood absorbs far more liquid than elsewhere.

To ensure your project continues to last, you should re-coat your project
with polyeurethane AND/OR paint at least every two years.

Let's go shop for woodworking project plans!

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