Sealing End Grain Exterior Wood

Anchorseal 2 green wood sealer ideal against end grain checking.

Sealing end grain exterior wood.

Osmo end grain sealing wax is perfect for all exterior wood projects where the end grain requires protection from weathering and water ingress. Sealing wood end grain during a siding deck or trim installation can easily be done and does little to slow down the job. It s much more likely to actually seal the wood and not have any open pores from the rough spots to allow moisture to penetrate as much. All it takes is a little can of paint or sealer.

After one coat end grain and spongy areas may still be hungry and insufficiently sealed while denser flat grain areas are starting to build up too much coating. When the wood starts to separate like you d see on a log in your fireplace it s done. Anchorseal s sealer has been used by professionals for decades. Ideally suited for use as a decking end grain sealer this product is compatible with other products in the osmo exterior wood finishes range.

Because the end grain at the bottom of outdoor furniture legs can wick up water standing on a deck or patio leading to premature rotting you ll have to make extra effort to adequately seal them. Spray cans or primer or disposable cans and brushes with primer can be used to prime the end grain once installed. Also a commercial solution to even staining it you re doing an on top of the wood finish is to put the stain in your finish i e. There s a way around that.

This is not always possible of course. This product should only be applied to end grains. End grain burns slower than face grain so pay particular attention to the sides of the piece as you go. Imagine if you were to submerse a piece of wood into sealer letting it absorb all it could at the end grain or spongy areas then remove it and wipe off.

Priming and sealing end grain during the wood siding deck or trim installation can be easily accomplished and does little to slow down a job. Sand the end grain with an orbital sander with 150g sandpaper give or take a grit just like you would interior stuff and it will last a lot longer. It is most widely known to protect wood against end grain checking. Ipe seal end grain seal for hardwoods and wood in general is a non toxic waterproofing wax emulsion sealant for fresh cut lumber ends to stop future cracks and splitting.

Of course end grain absorbs finish almost as well as water so brushing on the finish will require repeated applications.