So I just finished my plant stand, and I need a little advice for protecting it. I went with pressure treated wood, which I know has a measure of protection from the get-go. When I read about deck stains, they stress to never stain new wood, it needs to dry for at least 6 months to be ready to accept stain. Good luck on that drying thing, this thing will see water on a daily basis, thus it will never dry, thus it will never accept stain. Now what? Must I make it a fixture in my living room for 6 moths before I put it to use?
Build a plant stand, advice for protecting it?
- Thread starter Matt B
- Start date
Gran_Puma
Sapling
You can stain it right away if you aren't fussy about the color matching exactly to what the sample shows. The recommendation to wait was more relavent for the older pressure treating process, as long as the wood is dry to the touch and doesn't feel water logged when you lift it up you are good to go.
Prozart
Seedling
I don't have any advice to offer, but just wanted to say nicely done, it looks great!
Pitoon
Imperial Masterpiece
Looks good. I would advise caution putting anything heavy on those cantilever shelves. Also rest the stand on some slats to keep it off the ground to prevent any bottom end rot.
hinmo24t
Masterpiece
min wax
The top 5 shelves are for bonsai, the rest will be for a few bonsai in training, a couple houseplants and seedlings. The two cantilever shelves and in fact, the whole shelf are fairly solid, to the point of overkill. The blue 5 gallon sitting on the shelf is full to the top with granite gravel, to the tune of perhaps 60-70 pounds. I used a photo of a cheapo knockoff 50 dollar piece of junk for the idea, then obsessively overengineered it because I was concerned about it feeling rickety.
It turned out better than my meager woodworking experience and few tools would have led me to expect. If you look closely, edges of the shelves are overlapping as opposed to mitered, and nothing was detailed with a router or anything fancy, but its solid. Its like a Jeep, not conventionally beautiful or well crafted, but it won't let me down.
I used a drill, circular saw, tepe measure and sanding block for construction. Splurged on stainless trim screws. Now I just worry about it getting waterlogged, moldy and rotting into a pile of mulch.
It turned out better than my meager woodworking experience and few tools would have led me to expect. If you look closely, edges of the shelves are overlapping as opposed to mitered, and nothing was detailed with a router or anything fancy, but its solid. Its like a Jeep, not conventionally beautiful or well crafted, but it won't let me down.
I used a drill, circular saw, tepe measure and sanding block for construction. Splurged on stainless trim screws. Now I just worry about it getting waterlogged, moldy and rotting into a pile of mulch.
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Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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Put it in the sun for a few weeks while keeping it out of the rain, stain/sealer combo then good to go
ABCarve
Masterpiece
Once dry....spar varnish...satin or glossy...glossy is more durable. The best UV protection.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
This is a general rule for wood that comes right out of the sawmill. At least.. Over here freshly harvested timber and freshly sawn wood needs to cure for a long time so that water can evaporate. It's cured and ready for treatment as soon as it hits the shelves.
If you got your wood from the hardware store or any other reputable seller, it has probably been out and cured for longer. I mean, if you can't protect the deck you've just installed.. How are you supposed to ever stain it? Make a rain cover for 6 months and hope that humidity drops to 35-40%? Imagine the customer reviews for someone selling that kind of construction materials ;-)
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
62veedub
Yamadori
I’m not a wood worker, but I do know that pressure treated wood needs to cure well before staining/sealing. Yours looks pretty dry to me, but again, I’m not a wood worker. I might leave it in the sun, but covered from rain for a week or two then have at it.
JackHammer
Chumono
I just built a deck this last summer and I have a carpenter in the family. They make pressure treated wood by pumping the whole tree full of a synthetic glue/sealant. That is why they use softer woods, the trees are more accepting of the filler.
When the manufacturer is talking about drying, they are referring to the filler. The water from the plants is temporary and not deep inside the wood. The wood has a lot of air and is not submerged which will assist with drying the water. Wait 6 months for the filler to dry, then give it like 2 dry weeks with no water before painting. You should be good to go!
When the manufacturer is talking about drying, they are referring to the filler. The water from the plants is temporary and not deep inside the wood. The wood has a lot of air and is not submerged which will assist with drying the water. Wait 6 months for the filler to dry, then give it like 2 dry weeks with no water before painting. You should be good to go!
I was looking at an exterior semi transparent deck stain rather than spar varnish for three reasons. The prep is a lot more important and detailed on the varnish, the application technique is going to be a technical nightmare because of all the crevices and slats, and varnish will leave a shiny finish. The deck stain seems to be able to be slopped onto clean wood without any special prep, and will soak in and leave a decent finish without much effort. Is that an accurate perception?
Thanks for the tips on pressure treated wood, which I needed. If I'm understanding correctly, I can use the shelf and overspray from watering won't affect the curing process, or do I need to let it gas off for a few weeks dry before throwing stain on it?
Thanks for the tips on pressure treated wood, which I needed. If I'm understanding correctly, I can use the shelf and overspray from watering won't affect the curing process, or do I need to let it gas off for a few weeks dry before throwing stain on it?
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
This will work, but you will have to re coat it every couple of years even if it is SPAR varnish (has UV protection).
Petit Bak-v-Spar is used on wood trim on boats and can take a beating but must be redone fairly frequently
JackHammer
Chumono
Water from using your plant stand as a plant stand won't impact the curing process of the wood. But it will still take 6 months. I would recommend waiting 6 months before any finish work. You may find then that you don't need or want any finish.
I was worried about my deck but after a year, the stamps from the lumber yard still haven't washed off. That deck is going to last a very long time.
DBPooper
Yamadori
Always watch for that bottom end rot.
Great build!
Put it on casters. It will keep that bottom shelve off of the ground and be easier to move around.
