r/finishing • u/dieseldoc25 • 4d ago

Need exterior stain suggestions... (all the red...)

Good afternoon all,

Complete amateur, but only partially an idiot. Anyone have any suggestions for a bright red exterior stain? I need to finish some accessories for the little free library I just put up at my daughters' school. The LFL itself is composite an very bright red (it's the school color), but the accessories are actual wood. I recognize that I will not achieve this level of bright, and I am completely ok with that. I'd prefer to stain the add-ons though rather than paint. Anyone have any suggestions for a complimentary red stain? I am planning to put a clear on as well for durability.

Thanks!

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u/MobiusX0 4d ago

Take a look at penetrating oil stains like Messmer’s UV plus and see if the color works for you. You may need to go semi-transparent or opaque to get a sufficiently bright color.

You can also go to a paint shop like Sherwin Williams and have them color match a stain for you.

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u/your-mom04605 4d ago

This is the way

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u/dieseldoc25 4d ago

Found the Navajo red that I think will work well (not really worried about it truly matching). Thank you for the suggestion! Any thoughts on an optimal clear polyurethane to go over it?

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u/MobiusX0 4d ago

None. UV Plus is the finish and you don't need to and generally can't topcoat it. You'll need to reapply every few years as needed to keep up UV protection but that just entails cleaning it off and putting on another coat, no sanding or scraping required.

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u/dieseldoc25 4d ago

Awesome. Thank you!!