Leave your products alone to weather and age to an unfettered silvery grey. Their lifeline is far beyond what any warranty can claim and that lifeline will not be extended one day by the application of any finish whatsoever.

In part because of the species of wood and the grades of that species and the age, or maturity of that grade spec'd by Prowell to inusre a minimum number of growth rings per age

But moreover, a thorough understanding of wood and joinery and design. Designing a

A distressed pre-weathered finish drawn from an homespun remedy that transforms freshly milled cedar into a silvery grey overnight. This is a mildly distressed procedure that results in an aged aesthetic with a mixture of white vinegar and hard cider and the chemical reaction ocurring with the dilution of steel wool. The more steel wood and the longer it settles, the darker the gray.

As the coloring wears off over the next couple of years, the underlying cedar is gradually exposed and gradually graying itself until the transformation is completed.

The advantage is an obvious one: You simply do not have to wait two years for the brightly-milled cedar to become a stately silvery gray.

Below we see a new gate in unfinished cedar, and the folowing day with the pre-weathered finish.

By far the most advanced exterior finish available.
A non-toxic water-based finished for exterior applications. Easy application and quick drying allows for two coats within two hours. Because of the quick drying, it also all but eliminates the collection of dust particles gathering between coats. Can be sprayed or brushed. If brushing, maintain a wet edge to your brush to avoid overlapping brush strokes against the grain. Claims to last 10-12 years between maintenance in the most humid coastal conditions.

Non-toxic, water-based formula. Easy application. Easy clean-up Odorless. .Quick drying. Longer lasting..
Timeline: 12+ years.
Click on the WoodRX image for more information, or to order direct from the manufacturer.
$44/gallon + shipping. (shipped only from Florida)
Flat Finish.

To view their web site
To view their color charts

An absorbing pigmented transluscent stain with good color clarity and medium lifeline, while allowing the cedar to breath. An option available to those preferring a wider range of colors than the above WoodRX.

Non-toxic. Easy application. Sprayed or brushed.
Timeline: 6+ years.
Click on the Sansin image for more information, or to locate your local dealer
Approx $33/gallon.
Flat Finish.

Semi-Transparent, Transluscent opacity only.
We do not offer any other Sansin products. See "Note of Caution" below

To view their web site and color chart
To locate a dealer

One sprayed coat of "Stone Gray"

Wood Gates built from even the highest standards of western cedar are not to be confused with decks or house siding or garage doors. They are fully exposed to the elements on all six sides. Because our cedar comes from the coastal Northwest, and then inventoried in the shop of coastal Northern California, it will invariably want to breath once it finally leaves the shop and is exposed to the full climate. Some areas will see more dimensional adjustments than others, such as Florida compared to San Diego.

Prowell's products are designed to specifically allow the seasonal expansion and contraction of the cedar experienced most dramatically in the first weeks of exposure to the elements. But . . . solid finishes such as paint or solid-body stains or 3-part layered sealants.varnishes will not always cooperate with the wood's inherant need to acclimate to your specific micro climate. While the cedar is adjusting and acclimating during those first weeks, paints and solid stains and marine varnishes will not necessarily stretch with the same pliancy. They may, in 15-20% of the time even see bubbling and checking and blemished results in the finish. It should also be noted that with age, such finishes become less pliant, and less willing to cooperate with even the moderate breathing of the our product over thecourse of succeeding years. Not always, but often enough that we resists such finishes.

The solution? If you prefer a painted or solid-body stain finish, it's best to wait 6-8 weeks once your product arrives and has been installed. Allow it to breath, acclimate itself, and then apply your solid finish to a much higher degree of success. If it rains and takes on moisture during that time frame, allow it to dry in the clear weather for several days prior to applying your finish--lest the absorbed moisture becomes trapped by the finish and has no means of escape.

OIL FINISHES

Although we do not offer oil finishes, it seems appropriate to post a few words regarding this product.

Oil finishes are those finishes that have no pigment, no polyurethanes, and no sealing capacities. These finishes are always earth tones whose primary function is to enrich the wood's existing grain. There are two drawbacks:
1) They must be reapplied once every year or two. If neglected they will simply lose their clarity and the wood will gradually season to a grayish color.
2) They further enhance the darker and lighter contrasts existing in western cedar.
** Oil enhancers are developed for a single even coat. Successive coats result in a splotchy finish.

PAINTED FINISHES

Beware that western cedar needs to acclimate itself to any local climate prior to solid-body, or painted finishes. These finishes do not stretch with the breathing wood as easily and readily as the penetrating finishes with lower content of solids and pigments. Basically, any finish that does not deeply penetrate the wood runs a risk of high maintenance, or misbehavior. Our wood products are fully exposed to the elements and are not to be confused with a front door or even a garage door, both of which have one whole side protected from the weather, as well as the overheads and sides. The same is true for decks and the siding on your house. Most of the time painted or high-pigment stained finishes are fine, but not always. You can increase the odds by allowing the cedar to acclimate for 6-8 weeks in the weather, and season, before applying such finishes.

MARINE SPAR VARNISHES

Unless you are a wooden boat enthusiast who loves spending several weekends a year refinishing your Prowell product, marine and Spar varnishes should be avoided. There are only four reasons to use this product:
1) If you love high lustre finishes with a thick plastic-like finish that will peel and crack and yellow if not maintained every single year.
2) If you are under the impression that all those layers of plastic are actually providing some form of protection.
3) If you believe that the cedar can breath daily and from season to season without restraint when gooped by this finish.
4) If you are using a wood species with properties less resistent to the elements (bacteria, fungus, rot) than cedar or teak, such a finish serves a vital role. (i.e even the best grades of old-growth mahogany will experience eventual decay if left unfinished and exposed).

Oh, and we do not warranty any Prowell product with such a finish applied.

APPLICATION TIPS--

A few notes regarding the application process for exterior finishes.

Although sealing or staining or painting your Prowell product does not prolong the life of the high-grade cedars by a single day, it is often an understandable aesthetic preference.

A few tips for those who will be finishing their own products:
When applying your finish, start with one side, brushing the bottom rail with the grain and then the vertical stiles with the grain to avoid the brush strokes over-lapping.(This is particularly important with WoodRx, which is water-based and dries very fast). For all horizontal rails, not allowing the brush stroke to dry before brushing the vertical stile. Do not apply stain to the edges of the pickets or upper pattern on this side or the stain will run down the opposite side and leave run marks penetrating the bare wood before you are able to finish the opposite side. For those with solid lower panels, do not stain the edges of your open slots until the back side is addressed. Once you turn to the other side, you can then apply stain to the picket faces and edges, knowing the run-off will not absorb against the already stained surface. Check, when finished, the direction of your brush stroke to smooth out any over-laps. If you are going to apply second coats, you must wipe these dry.  Otherwise the second coat will not penetrate the wood evenly and the result will be a splotchy finish.

Spray finishes: All of the above recommended products can be applied with sprayers. Common hand-pump sprayers work with WoodRX and Cabot Semi-Transparent. Cabot Semi-solid and Sold-Body stains and paints, however, are best applied with an industrial set-up and requires back-brushing.