non-toxic exterior wood sealers

[nick kaplan]

i have found several lists of "green" non-toxic wood sealers and wood finishes. does anyone have experience with the low tox exterior products? thanks

[Jim Becker]

All finishes sold today are "non toxic"/safe once fully cured. Be careful about paying extra for a product that the label makes claims unless you review the MSDS and compare it to similar products not so labled. Right now, there is a lot of marketing focus on words like "non-/low-tox", "green", etc., and I'm sceptical about the percentage of claims that are truly valid.

[Sam Yerardi]

ALso, along the lines of toxicity, a lot of people have the impression that water-borne finishing materials are safer than solvent-based materials. They are but it is only relative as water-based finishes actually do have a lot of harmful ingredients if conjested, etc. They are safe but not COMPLETEY safe as is the myth.

[Howard Acheson]

Following on to Jim's response, you may want to take a look at the June and July issues of Consumer Reports for the past couple of years. Your library will have them.

CU has been long term testing outdoor deck and sealing products for the past 8-10 years. They have found that most are almost worthless particularly the ones that are clear. The more opaque, the better they hold up. CU has some that do offer some longer term protection.