Advice on oak treatment for grave marker

[blisters on my fingers]

We are having an oak grave marker made by a friend and I would appreciate any advice anybody could offer.

The marker will be A3 sized, about 2 to 3 inches thick, the inscription will be routed into the oak surface.

It is a woodland burial site and only natural protective oils can be used i.e. no plastic or epoxy resin.

The marker needs to be in place towards the end of January.

Some of the markers at the burial site have become almost illegible which does seem very sad. 

I know a natural oak marker will not last forever and it is acceptable to then provide a replacement. But that also seems a bit sad if it could be avoided with the right treatment now. 

Any advice you have to offer on the best way to protect the oak (something that could be done at home) maybe linseed oil or whatever, would be appreciated. 

 

[Jimothey]

23 hours ago, blisters on my fingers said:

We are having an oak grave marker made by a friend and I would appreciate any advice anybody could offer.

The marker will be A3 sized, about 2 to 3 inches thick, the inscription will be routed into the oak surface.

It is a woodland burial site and only natural protective oils can be used i.e. no plastic or epoxy resin.

The marker needs to be in place towards the end of January.

Some of the markers at the burial site have become almost illegible which does seem very sad. 

I know a natural oak marker will not last forever and it is acceptable to then provide a replacement. But that also seems a bit sad if it could be avoided with the right treatment now. 

Any advice you have to offer on the best way to protect the oak (something that could be done at home) maybe linseed oil or whatever, would be appreciated. 

 

I would probably would go for teak oil as that’s for outside hardwood items, only problem would be it would need to be re-coated every other year really to keep it properly protected

Edited January 4, 2018 by Jimothey

[blisters on my fingers]

thanks jimothey 

would brushing a few coats of teak oil over a few days be the right way to go 

[Jimothey]

19 minutes ago, blisters on my fingers said:

thanks jimothey 

would brushing a few coats of teak oil over a few days be the right way to go 

Yeah teak oil does dry quickly but if you can get quite a few coats on it before you put it outside then that would be good 

[Grangur]

I was in the furniture business with my brother for a while. My brother took home an oil-finished oak coffee table and used it in the garden. 

The oil finish soon disappeared. The wood turned a grey colour like ash, but the wood stood up to the weather with no signs of rotting for a good number of years. I'm sure you won't need to worry too much. Teak-oil will be better than boiled-linseed, but it'll hold out well for a long time.

[blisters on my fingers]

Thanks Jimothy and Grangur 

Will follow your advice - it was the rotting and splitting that I was trying to avoid.

cheers

[Phil Starr]

If it's not too late.

The enemy of wooden structures is water, both fungal and insect attack are more likely if the wood has a high moisture content. There are centuries old buildings with exposed wooden frames still standing but they are designed to keep the frames dry. It's worth thinking of how you can limit the water soaking into the wood and how it is going to escape. Shape the top to shed water or better still create a cap with a proper drip strip which will shed water as far from the written surface as practical. Then consider how you can mount the plaque clear of the soil surface and prevent wicking up the wood. You probably won't be allowed to use concrete but setting the wood into concrete stores the water at the base which guarantees rot unless you design a way for water to escape. If you make the cap and base sacrificial and aim to replace these fairly simple parts when needed you could probably double the lifetime of the memorial.

[blisters on my fingers]

Thanks Phil, Jimothey and Grangur

Soon after my original post and your much appreciated and speedy replies, disaster struck, the friend (actually a friend of a friend) could not now spare the time to make the grave marker because some big contract had been signed, his lead time would now be 3-6 months. Unfortunately this meant that the marker would not be ready for my late partners' birthday (which is tomorrow) as I'm sure you can imagine this was incredibly hard to comprehend, but there you go.  And yes he did know the importance of the time frame.

Time was now running out and my lovely eldest daughter managed to find a company that could make the grave marker and guarantee delivery.

This company were absolutely spot on in their communications and produced and delivered the marker just as promised.

I was going to treat the oak with Teak oil as suggested, and bought a tin of Liberon Teak Oil to do just that. On the back of the tin it states " Teak oil is not suitable for use on exterior oak. Liberon Pure Tung Oil is recommended for this purpose" I have no idea why they don't recommend teak oil ? Everybody seems to think it's the er mutt's  er nuts.  

I went with their suggestion and instead used Liberon Quick Drying Tung Oil because time was short. It has worked a treat. Managed to get about eight coats on this week and water now runs off like it would on glass. 

Phil - the marker will be sitting at about 45 degrees and if possible I'll try to get some kind of air gap underneath it using some stones or whatever we can find tomorrow.

You have all helped at a difficult time.

Thanks

 

[SpondonBassed]

7 hours ago, blisters on my fingers said:

I was going to treat the oak with Teak oil as suggested, and bought a tin of Liberon Teak Oil to do just that. On the back of the tin it states " Teak oil is not suitable for use on exterior oak. Liberon Pure Tung Oil is recommended for this purpose" I have no idea why they don't recommend teak oil ?

Neither have I.  If oak was specifically mentioned it could mean that for oak there is a better product.  Also, Teak Oil should be re-applied regularly when used outdoors to maintain the finish.  Maybe it is different for Tung Oil.

I'm happy that you got your marker in time anyway.

Edited January 25, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[blisters on my fingers]

13 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

If oak was specifically mentioned it could mean that for oak there is a better product.

Yes, I think you are spot on there. Liberon think their Tung oil is a better product for exposed oak than their own brand Teak oil.

Which is not quite the same as Teak oil bad/Tung oil good.

Thanks for the link.

[converse320]

Best wishes at a difficult time.

[blisters on my fingers]

Thanks Converse

[UrijahGalloway]

Hi, sorry for bumping the old thread, guys. Is it worth getting a stone grave sign, or a wooden one will do?

[blisters on my fingers]

A wooden gravemarker will require regular maintenance....at the least, a once a year sanding, and then an application with whatever oil treatment you think is appropriate.

It's a good way to honour your departed loved one and show some kind of recognition of their passing.

 

As to whether that will do .....as you put it ..... Only you can answer that?

 

 

[HarrisonHo]

Hey there. It really depends on your personal preference and budget. Wooden signs can be cheaper and have a more rustic feel, while stone signs can be more durable and add a touch of elegance to your grave. Have you checked out the Bahama Blue Granite Color Sample? It's a popular choice for stone signs and looks pretty sick! By the way, I'm new here so it's great to meet you all. Hope this helps!

Edited April 28, 2023 by HarrisonHo

[Ralf1e]

Oak is popular but not as durable for outside applications as other timbers.

African mahogany, Teak or Oroko all outlast it without too much treatment. There are many others.

Looking up a list of durable timbers will give you an idea of the durability of what is out there. 😀

[Phil Starr]

Welcome to Bass Chat @HarrisonHoand @UrijahGalloway

 

I had forgotten all about this thread. Wood is a fantastic material but you have to accept an aging process. There are timber framed buildings whic are hundreds of years old with exposed oak beams, I built a treehouse out of pressure treated pine for my kids who are in their thirties now. I’ve recently taken it down and the timber has barely deteriorated, it is going through the planer to make new things. Teak on seaside piers lasts for decades in exposed conditions but nothing lasts forever. Look at almost any graveyard and the oldest stones can no longer be read. 
 

I kind of like the symbolism, that all things will fade and pass back into the soil. Only you can decide how long you want a memorial to last.

 

[Beedster]

This was a very useful thread 👍