I've got a bunch of kiln-dried dimensional red oak lumber from a friend, and I'm wondering how I can treat or prepare it for use as outdoor trim on my shed. I had initially planned to go with cedar since it's better for the outdoors, but since the oak is free, I'm considering it. Is there a way to make red oak suitable for this purpose?
1 Answer
You can definitely take the red oak, but I wouldn't recommend using it for outdoor trim. It's like buying a really nice steak and then using it as pet food. You’ll have to paint it to protect it, and once that paint starts to peel or degrade, the oak will suffer. You could try sealing it with something like tung oil, but it'll break down over time too. Cedar is just naturally better for outdoor conditions since it resists weathering on its own.
Really? I had no idea it was that bad. I guess I’ll just buy the cedar and see if I can trade some oak for it instead.