water resistant deck finish

[kadybee]

I have laid a Tallowwood floor for my deck and am wanting to find a finish that is the most water resistant - ie stop as much water as possible from seeping through the timber. A polyurethane finish would be perfect to match my interior but not a good plan outside! Any suggestion - apart from the obvious 'put a roof on' :-) - is received with thanks.

[Oldsaltoz]

Had a look into using oil?

[kadybee]

Yes, Oil is the obvious choice, yet I am trying to find which type/brand will make the timber least porous. I am assuming the basic decking oils will still allow a degree of water to get in and seep through the timber??

[nat1]

Obviously you want to protect that nice Tallowwood. I think you also need to think about maintenance of the coating and the look of the product. Yes there will be maintenance even though some of us are negligant to the fact. All coatings whether being traditional oil or water based oil will provide different degrees of protection and weather at different rates. All coatings will need maintenance ie (recoating). The upkeep can be relatively easy or can turn into a major job if you get slack. This can also depend on the product you use.
Read the thread cleaning and oiling your deck.
Some of the pros on this forum use traditional oil based and some use acrylic oils.
I think you will find that there wont be a clean cut answer to your initial question as there are other things to consider.