Probably so. You will need to refresh/reapply yearly.

Casey

Use paint. Clear paint, that is.

I made a walnut cross for a memorial and used two coats of Sherwin Williams A100 ultra deep tint base. That is paint with no color added to be used to mix color. Not adding any color means the paint dries clear. Goes on milky and dries clear.

Thank you for the replies. I have not heard of using clear paint yet - interesting option. Another concern is to be able to touch up and refinish without having to strip the finish. That is why the Waterlox seemed like a good option. I am not sure if clear paint allows for this as well. Any more input on which product and whether Waterlox original/marine is preferred would be appreciated. I am also inclined to try the new Waterlox Marine Satin; if anyone has any experience with it, I would love to hear about it. Thank you.

I was just advised that Waterlox has changed formulas and that long time users are now switching to other products. Has anyone heard this as well? Does this not apply to the marine and non-low-VOC lines (as Sumbreuil may be implying)? If anyone has better products for my application, please let me know. Thank you.

I haven't done it, so I really can't recommend it, but why not treat it like a wooden boat? A clear penetrating epoxy sealer topped with a two-part catalyzed marine polyurethane finish with lots of UV inhibitors. Stripping and refinishing would be hellish job, but it seems as though it should last a while.

In a decade or so I'll be able to tell you how a similar finish has held up on the bottom side of a trailer. The other downside is that both components run a couple hundred bucks a gallon.

Here is an article on paint as a clear finish. Seeing that you are in CA may mean you can only get low-VOC formulations, so that may yield different results. http://askhlm.com/Articles/ArticleViewPage/tabid/75/ArticleId/26/Paint-On-A-Clear-Finish.aspx

In my research, I actually came across this particular article on using paint as a clear finish a few times on the web. Other than this, I haven't seen too many sources recommending this method so I am a little dubious. This is certainly something that one would have to test before committing to and I would love to hear from anyone who has tried this approach. Some concerns would be (1) does this make the wood look as good as something that was designed for the purpose? We are paying money to have a walnut door and it makes little sense to use a finish that doesn't complement the wood; (2) is the finish repairable/can it be refinished without stripping? not all products that are designed for finishing wood are, but there are certainly good choices that meet this criteria; and (3) are there issues with durability/cleanup? particularly with non-glossy finishes, standard paint is not too friendly to being wiped down so I'd be cautious about how this would perform on the door in this respect. Thank you very much for your inputs, this is certainly enlightening.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a337/HandyMac/2014-10-18150556_zps58db3f00.jpg After two coats of the A100.

Thank you for sharing the photos. Are you happy with the finish? Does it look as good as a surface prepared with wood finishing products to you?

It is not intended to look like a spar varnish finish as with a smooth finish. After all, it is exterior paint.

Not like a lacquer/shellac/poly interior finish. I need to go take a look at the cross next month. That will be almost a year since it was installed in a memorial garden at a local church. I drive by now and then, it is not discolored(wood grays with UV exposure) and I do not see any damage. But that is from 40 feet away.

So, for this application, yes. So far it exceeds a spar varnish finish.

I recommend Le Tonkinois, Number One

http://www.tarsmell.com/number_one.html

Ships out of California.

I used it on my new doug fir front door about five years ago and have not had to add any additional coats. Used it on the new doug fir back door about four years ago and is still holding up extremely well. The gloss level is pretty high at first, but with outdoor exposure it dies down fairly quick. At best, the doors are a muted satin currently.

This is an oil product with close to zero VOCs. And does not need any thinners added to it to make it brush-able. In fact, paint thinner will not even mix with the product, I've tried. But turpentine might, I have not tried.

For what it's worth, i used the same brand but a product meant for indoors on the inside of the doors.

I would not put a coat of clear water based paint on this door. There may be merit of using a clear alkyd oil paint, but I'm not sure you can even buy that any more in CA.