New Poster - Pics of egg table with some advice on finishing it...

BigKahunaBurger

Hey guys,

Just stumbled upon the forum this week while looking for some finishing ideas for BGE tables, and wow, what an incredible wealth of information! I got the L egg last summer as a wedding gift, and love it - I'd say my 'specialty' so far has been grilled porgy and fluke, freshly caught from the Niantic River... but also have tried a ton of fun vegetarian dishes. My wife's a vegetarian, which
pretty much makes me a vegetarian. But I do love the taste of a good burger!  I'll be sure to post some of our favorite recipes when we start to harvest the bounty of our garden (and river) this summer.

For now, I was wondering if anyone had some advice on finishing my egg table that I built last weekend (heavily based on Naked Whiz's plans - it's probably a good thing I didn't find this forum until after it was done, otherwise I probably would have had to tear up my plans and start over again... some of these ones on here are just unbelievable!). It's cedar decking on a PT pine frame. I regret not searching harder for cedar 2x4's, but its already built and I don't mind the look too much.

The hole on the right is going to be a granite slab - I'm hoping to have the table double as my outdoor fish filet station, so I want to finish the cedar to ensure its impenetrable to any wayward porgy guys. I'm thinking Tung Oil for finishing the cedar, and then after the PT dries out, using the same stuff on the frame. I had considered using a solid exterior stain to stain the PT green, does anyone have any advice on how that'd turn out? Or should I just stick with Tung Oil on both? Any recommendations would be much appreciated, and I'll be sure to post an updated pic once my green granite comes in...

yellowdogbbq

Tung oil or an oil blend would be a good choice for finish.  Unfortunately there will always be a contrast between the PT and the cedar.  I would wait 6 to 12 months for it to dry and just use the oil on it, a stain would just draw more attention to the contrast in the woods.  

Hillbilly-Hightech

many ppl recommend spar marine varnish (I think something like this): 

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17644&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=pla&utm_campaign=PLA&gclid=CJLUuei9mbACFcSa7QodWi1JZQ

For my table (which I plan to finish up over the Memorial Day holiday - FINALLY) hhehe - I used an oil based stain recommended to me by (and used by) the guy who built our privacy fence.  It's called "Preserva Wood": 

http://www.preservaproducts.com/wd-presWood.html# 

Depending on where you're located, you may be more concerned about rain vs sun, etc.  Either way, I think that covering the table will help it last longer (funny that one would get a cover mainly to protect the table instead of the Egg because the Egg can do just fine out side) hehee

HTH,
Rob

EDIT:  just looked at that marine varnish link & realized it was tung oil based, so if that's what folks are using, then I'd say you're on the right track!!

EDIT X2:  Also found this from Rust-Oleum:
http://rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=7

It says it's an "oil modified urethane" varnish....

so, to the wood workers out there - is the Rust-Oleum version the same as, or different than, the Man-O-War version I linked to earlier?  Is either better than the other, or, in terms of functionality & protection, are they basically the same?

TIA,
Rob

Outcast

Marine spar varnish has UV inhibitors in it where tung oil blends typically do not.  Some timber looks better with the UV oxidation, i.e. cherry, and some just turns an unattractive gray.  If you go the tung oil route, make sure its a blend so it will cure.  Pure tung oil will not and must be refreshed periodically.