A few weeks ago I picked up some wood adirondack chairs online for $20 each. Online description stated it was Asian fir wood and I liked the light color tone. I've always wanted real wood adirondack chairs but never wanted to spend the money they usually cost, but these were cheap so figured what the heck. They were unassembled but came together nicely. They are a light wood color, and the wood has a slight rough texture to it.

They will be going outdoors and exposed to the sun and rain. I wanted to weatherproof them and preferred to keep their original wood color so I put a coat of clear Thompson's water seal on them. Problem is, I then read the can and realized it doesn't have a UV protectent in it and it states the chairs will get a greyed, weathered look to them. Definitely NOT what I want.

So what are my options now? I'm reading online and just getting more confused as to my options. Can anything be applied over the existing water seal that will provide a durable UV protection and keep the wood it's natural color?

I'd love it to have a nice glossy look and feel to it, but that's not essential.

You could check out Bass Pro or some other store for a Marine Varnish. They usually have built in UV and weather protections.

Not sure on the amount needed but check HD/Lowes for something like this as well.
https://www.krylon.com/products/uvresistant-clear-coating/

Thanks! Do you think I could simply apply something like this over the existing coat of Thompson's water seal?

FDXAg said:

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Thanks! Do you think I could simply apply something like this over the existing coat of Thompson's water seal?

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No idea tbh, might try calling either company (TWS and whichever marine company you choose) and asking them. It might require you to use some mineral spirits or something to remove the old TWS.

FDXAg said:

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Thanks! Do you think I could simply apply something like this over the existing coat of Thompson's water seal?

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You're going to have to strip the water seal to get anything to stick to the wood... I would just order new chairs.

For a $20 chair, I would get some spar varnish or exterior spar urethane. There are options out there that are going to be more durable, but they're going to be more involved and you're going to end up spending several times the cost of the chair on finishes.