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How a weekend in Maine revolutionized my exterior woodwork
Last month, I spent a weekend in a small fishing village in Maine. I chatted with a retired boat builder about preserving wood against salt air. He showed me his mix of linseed oil and pine tar. Now I use it on all my outdoor projects. The durability is unmatched, even in harsh weather.
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lane.seth6mo ago
Hearing about that pine tar mix has me intrigued since I've battled salt air on my coastal deck. What specific ratio of linseed oil to pine tar did the boat builder swear by? My experience with straight linseed oil left my Adirondack chairs needing reapplication every season. Does the pine tar alter the wood's color significantly, like darkening cedar to a deep brown? How many coats do you apply before it truly stands up to a nor'easter?
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robertr866mo ago
Hold up, @lane.seth, are we really mixing up boat builder concoctions for a deck? I mean, sure, pine tar darkens wood (it's basically liquid charcoal), but isn't that overkill for Adirondack chairs? Two coats of anything won't stand up to a nor'easter, you're just delaying the inevitable reapplication.
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