Staining / sealing advice needed for a Mahogany (Sapelle) cafe sign

[ruffback]

Hello everyone,

A wooden cafe sign I designed quite a while ago is nearing completion - it's been CNC-routed out of 7ft of Sapele (which took a friend forever of course) and now needs staining in two tones, sealing and the letters painting.

As it's going to be in full sun most of the day (in San Francisco - mostly sunny climate, but damp too) and we want to minimize the gradual color bleaching and protect it as much as possible from the elements so that follow-up work every year or two will be kept to a minimum. We've asked a variety of people but get conflicting advice about how to go about this.

Basically, we're currently unsure if we should hire a professional wood finisher (approx cost?), or whether to just buy the right products and have a go at this ourselves (less inclined obviously if there are many stages to this and expert skills needed). What types (or brands) of products would be best for this?

Below I attached a photo of the sign (just before it was cut out in an oval shape) plus a much earlier computer mock-up of what type of two-tone staining effect we were originally aiming for (since we used Sapele it'll be more reddish than this though). We want to maximize the wood grain effect of course and perhaps we will want the two shades of stain to be achieved with the same product (ie layered) so that when they discolor in the sun over time they won't end up in non-matching hues (?). We also considered bleaching the sun part out instead of staining it darker but that would probably have its own complications.

Any thoughts or advice are hugely appreciated as always.

Thanks a lot everyone!

Jason

 

[sinetist]

The Sikkens products are excellent long lasting finishes .... http://www.perfectwoodstains.com/USA/en/Pages/default.html

Cetol 1 followed by Cetol 23 ... they come in a range of colours.

 

[ducktrap]

Staining/ Sealing Mahogany

We do a lot of marine work with mahoganies, and I can tell you that sunlight will be more of a problem than dampness. Marine finishes stand up to the environment better than anything I've seen. Z Spar and Interlux make staining fillers in several hues; Interlux 1026 is an excellent though slightly amber colored sealer, and Z Spar Captain's Varnish (#1015) contains a healthy dose of ultraviolet inhibitors. We've used that combination on transoms and carved signs for years here on the Maine Coast–it's pretty much the standard.

 

[Joe Crumley]

Jason, Beautiful Sign. Both the former posts are good. I'm using Sikkens Log and Siding. I often blend it with other Sikkens stains to give it a little soul.

 

[ruffback]

Z Spar and Interlux make staining fillers in several hues

Staining fillers? What does that mean exactly?

Basically I'm wondering if there is a set process for this - ie stain the raw wood where it needs to be darker (only the sun in this case) and then clear coat everywhere else several times? As this is a fairly dark wood already we're thinking of not staining uniformly as it'll go a little darker with the coats of marine cetol (or whatever we use) anyway. Do some clear coats contain or have a stain added?

We're also unsure about whether to seal the letters before priming etc. Ideally we want to paint the letters after there have been several coats on the background of the sign so any excess white paint will wipe off more easily.

Thanks!