How to weatherproof reclaimed wood for planters?

Skish

Hi folks! I've acquired some old fencing from a construction site down the road, and I'm wanting to make some planters and a composting tub thing from it. What's the best way to go about protecting the wood from UV and water? Am I able to use a water-based oil, then a timber finish over top for colour? In this case, I'm looking at Cabot's water based Jarrah garden furniture oil and an ebony timber finish over top because I like how dark the colour is. I'd also like some advice on what to line them with. Some sort of durable plastic that doesn't leech into the soil?
Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated~

EricL

Hello @Skish

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about weatherproofing reclaimed wood.

Using exterior water-based stains will protect the timber from dirt, mould, water, and UV rays. A good example is Cabot's 4L Merbau Water Based Deck And Exterior Timber Stain. It has the Merbau colour stain in it and is no longer necessary to stain it with another colour. However, since you wish to have an Ebony finish, you can have the Cabot's tinted to the Ebony colour that you want. I encourage you to visit your local store to have a look at the paint finish sample board on display. This will give you a good idea of the finish.

Because the timber you are using has been seasoned, I suggest using Intergrain 1L UltraPrep Timber Cleaner to refresh the surface of the timber. This will allow the stain to penetrate the timber. I suggest using Grunt 2 x 5m Black 200um Ultra Tough Plastic Film to line your planters and composting tub. It is a multi-use ultra-tough plastic film that can be used in a variety of landscape, protection and DIY projects. I recommend using a staple gun to fix the plastic to the timber surface of your planter. It sounds like a fantastic project for reclaimed wood. Any updates you can provide while building it would be much appreciated.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Top 10 most popular raised garden beds

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your planters and composting tub assembled.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric