Post #541473 by pjc5150 on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 8:29 AM

OK. This is the part of making tikis that I am just completely lost on. I've heard all kinds of different opinions on this subject and I just don't really know what to think. Here's my problem. I have people who want to buy my stuff, but I've only been doing this for like, a year now and I don't really know how to answer the ultimate question: "how long will this thing last out by my pool like this?" My answer is always the same "I really don't know".

I gave one to a friend of mine, and he sat it near the corner of his house where water rolls off the roof and bounces up and splashes it, and now it looks like total shit, so I'm worried.

So, consequently I've sold very few pieces just because I don't want anyone to buy something that's just going to fall apart or disintegrate inside of a year. I'd rather not sell any of them than have people walking around feeling like I ripped them off.

All the tikis I carve are of fairly fresh, wet palm, as I do not have the luxury of having a stockpile of seasoned, dry logs. So, once I carve one, they're still a bit wet.

So how long do I need to wait before I apply stain and poly?

If the log is still wet inside and I poly it will that just make it rot inside?

If I poly a wet piece and leave the bottom in a natural state will all the moisture just naturally dissipate on it's own without rotting?

The only type of finish / stain I've tried is Thompson's stain / water seal, and it seemed to work ok. Was that a mistake? Should I have used something else?

So bottom line: what the hell should I be doing here?

Please give me some advice.

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2010-07-09 08:34 ]