Outdoor Finish

​About thirteen years ago I built my wife a set of dry planter boxes that sit at the end of the steps 
coming into our home. Not some amazing work of craftsmanship or anything, just pine planter 
boxes made to have potted plants placed in side them that have sat outside all year round for the 
last thirteen years.

I seems too often I get questions about finishing outdoor projects. And my thought is 
what are your expectations for what you're building. For me things like the planter boxes I built,
I wiped on whatever it was and forgot about it. As the years have gone by the finish is gone and 
the wood has distressed and worn from the elements creating a look that I think is better than when
I first built them.  For something like these boxes that's okay, when they eventually rot it's a easy task 
to build new ones. 

Right around this same time I also build a new storm door for our home, this was different.
I knew it would see a lot of use and with eleven grandkids probably a lot of abuse as well. So I
wanted to build this once and not have to worry about it again for a while. My finish on this 
was made up of a good epoxy sealer with a varnish top coat, and with a few touch ups over
the years it still looks good. 

Back to your expectations what you need to know is that they will only be as good as the effort 
you put into them. If you choose a cheap finish that is what you will get, and if you take the time 
to apply a good quality finish you will get quality results. 

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