Natural wood exterior finish

A friend of mine in Riggins Idaho is using this product on his new siding and swears by it on his place in Canada where he first used it.

If you want the 'natural' wood siding look, you know that in the western US there is no good solution to preserve the wood. All traditional products require maintenance and some hide the natural beauty of the wood. Sure some folks leave do nothing and leave the wood exposed, but most of us understand how unprotected wood exposed to the elements rots and just doesn't last very long.

This product seems to solve those problems and is non-toxic! I am not affiliated with this in any way, but it sure makes me wish I had known about it before I used pigmented stain on my cedar shake siding on my home.

http://www.valhalco.com/index.php

I would be curious if any others have tried this product or will try it as I think it fits the Permie criteria pretty darn well.

Hi Ty, et al,

So I don't waste your time...in a word..."con game," IMO. I am not saying there may not be some actual ingredient that has "some effect," but none that I know of or works to any great degree in my experience. I know this product ("Lifetime® by Valhalla Wood Preservatives Ltd) and I am still waiting for a response from them...all these years latter when I requested an MSDS for their product. I got my hands on some, applied a test patch...conclusion...not impressed even a little bit. The wood just did what it would normally do...age and turn gray...

If something presents as "too good to be true," well, you know what they say about that...and here is another case of it....

If you can get a copy of a MSDS for them...I would love a copy...thus far, all I have been told, or read is it is an amalgamation of botanicals, mycillids and possibly borate salts...nothing that unusual...

Ty Morrison wrote:...most of us understand how unprotected wood exposed to the elements rots and just doesn't last very long...

That isn't quite the facts...and I believe a big part of this companies marketing plan, which is an extensive and powerful one. Wood, if allowed to dry out can last decades if not centuries. I have, on several occasions, remove wood boards from old barns, and vintage structures that are well over 150 years old with nothing on it at all...just air circulating around it. So, wood does not rot if "just" exposed to the elements. It is dependant on many factors, including species of wood and "tooling effects" applied as well. Many of the shrines throughout Asia (especially Japan) are untreated wood, some well over 800 years old.

I have been dealing with this issue and studing it for over 35 years. Here are some folks that I have been dealing with for over half that time.

Finishes and Paint Recommendations:

Natural finishes (the short list- there is much, much, more...)
http://www.heritagenaturalfinishes.com/
The owner is a wonderful person and friend, I do not use any other wood finishes most of the time other that "Land Ark." If you want to talk "oil" finishes and natural finishes in general, call them and ask for Autumn, (Autumn Peterson-Owner, John is the manager)

http://www.olivettiorganicfinishes.com/#!
http://ogarnier.com/
Olivier Garnier is probably the best lime paint maker and traditionalist in North America, but there are others very good ones.

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/powder.html
Dwayne Siever (founder and owner) is a friend and will talk paint better than most. Great product

http://pinetarworld.com/?page_id=89
I have used this product, but it is the "Pine Tar Oil" that I wanted. I am trying to get Autumn of Heritage Finishes to start making and mixing this.

Thanks Jay, I always learn something new from your posts.
I went to their website where they have links to standardized testing; even their own links don't support their claims. White rot was reduced significantly, but brown rot was not significantly reduced.
I use PenofinPenofin because it's available at my LHS.