Big Green Egg - EGGhead Forum - The Ultimate Cooking Experience...
Spring is in the air, we know winter can't last forever, and we are all looking forward to even more opportunities to enjoy the Ultimate Cooking Experience! How about chasing off the last of the winter chill with some BBQ Chicken Soup or zesty Fired-Up Chicken Wings! Check out all the new recipes and cooking videos – from Stuffed Burgers to amazing Peach and Prosciutto Pizza, and everything in-between! Visit BigGreenEgg.com/recipes for tips and ideas.

I need some cypress staining recommendations

YouEnjoyMyEggYouEnjoyMyEgg Posts: 49
in EGG Table Forum
I'm a complete noob when it comes to wood and staining.  I had a cypress table made for my new LBGE and after a few cooks I'm seeing it gather stains. A few questions - can I stain cypress right away or do I need to wait like pine?  And when I do stain it, what should I use?  What brand is best?  and any other staining tips you could share would be greatly appreciated.  Otherwise I'm sure I'm going to screw this up!  :) 
Flag • Off Topic Disagree Agree Like

Comments

  • MayberryMayberry Posts: 234
    Cypress is a very dense wood and won't take stain very easily, but will last forever if you take proper care of it.  So, if you do decide to stain, use a stain a few shades darker than you really want.  After that, you will need to put on some sort of polyurethane, mainly because the stain won't penetrate the wood very well.  I just used a helmsman clear polyurethane on mine?  It  keeps the natural shade of the wood, but protects against elements and typical food stains.  Hope this helps.
    Flag • Off Topic Disagree Agree Like
  • nolaeggheadnolaegghead Posts: 6,040
    I use cypress for just about everything I make out of wood, and I prefer the way it looks without any stain.  That said, my buddy just built 7 tables using cypress in my shop and he stained 6 of them.  Seems to take stain well.  I've never used new growth cypress, but the old swamp cypress takes any finish very well.  The end grain is like a sponge.

    Use a spar paint over whatever you do (stain or natural).  Helmsman is fine.  3 coats minimum, sand between coats. 
    New Orleans - best food on the planet. Large BGE
    Flag • Off Topic Disagree Agree Like
  • cortguitarmancortguitarman Posts: 1,140
    If you don't mind a little maintenance every now and then, a simple Danish Oil will do the trick. The oil makes the natural beauty of the wood pop.

    For a more durable finish, I'd gp with the spar urethane. This will give the wood a gloss finish that makes dir easy cleaning.
    Flag • Off Topic Disagree Agree Like
  • YouEnjoyMyEggYouEnjoyMyEgg Posts: 49
    Thanks for all the responses.  After much debate I went with Cabot's Australian Timber Oil (Honey Teak) and I couldn't be more pleased.  The cypress was new cypress, and I even had PTP supports (new PTP), and all of it took the Timber Oil quite well.  The cypress took it better of course, and it looks beautiful.  But I was quite surprised how well the PTP took the stain.  I was going to let the pine dry out a few months but my impatience got the better of me and I tested a small inconspicuous spot.  And it took it well, so I went ahead with the entire table.  One coat.  Which is all they recommend.  The table looks great and is beading water perfectly.  I'd highly recommend this product. 
    Flag • Off Topic Disagree Agree Like
  • henapplehenapple Posts: 3,087
    Man, that's a nice looking table.
    Flag • Off Topic Disagree Agree Like
Sign In or Register to comment.