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I need some cypress staining recommendations

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YouEnjoyMyEgg
YouEnjoyMyEgg Posts: 168
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!  :) 
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  • Mayberry
    Mayberry Posts: 750
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    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.
    Athens, GA
    XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    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. 
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
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    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.
    Mark Annville, PA
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  • YouEnjoyMyEgg
    YouEnjoyMyEgg Posts: 168
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    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. 
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
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    Man, that's a nice looking table.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • Notarj1
    Notarj1 Posts: 2
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    I have to admit I used the Cabots Australian Timber Teak (Honey Teak) and it came out looking fantastic.
    Highly recommend using this product.
    Thank you for sharing.
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