# Wood Bridge, to Stain or leave natural - question?



## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm building a wood bridge and am trying to decide if I should leave it natural or stain it. The wood is redwood, which I believe should hold up well without staining, but I was wondering what others think?


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## rhyman (Apr 19, 2009)

It really depends on the effect you are trying to achieve. If left natural, the redwood will age to a beautiful silvery-gray color over time. If stained, the finish will still weather, but it will take much longer. Personally, I like to stain the wood components of bridges prior to assembly. After the bridge is built and put in place, I leave it to slowly weather from brown to gray. Here are some sample trestle sections I built over ten years ago for a clinic. They are 1:20.3 scale models of two-panel sections from various actual RGS highline bridges. The wood is western red cedar and the stain is Minwax water-based Colonial Pine.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Guess you do not have termites. Here they eat this stuff up. Had one that lasted about two years made from red wood. Sawdust now. I'd also consider some type of protective sealer. Later RJD


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice trestles Bob. I like the rich colour the stain gives to them. 
I usually use mahogony for trestsle bents and cladding and let it go natural without protection and it holds up very well. One of the first things I built was a low trestle using regular pine and I literally drenched in stain and it is still together and looking good after 4 years outside. Recently I built a truss bridge and used cedar which I didn't protect but wish I had since it is already turning grey. I never built using redwood is it closer to cedar or mahogony for density? The question is what do you prefer the look of new, or well worn and rustic? If it is left to weather naturally will that also include the growth of lichen which I have seen on other unprotected wooden bridges? I like new but the coice is up to you. 
Todd


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Here in the Southwest the sun seems to be the worst enemy of wood. I have used redwood on my house trim and to build bridges. On the trim I have finally resorted to a heavy non-transparent stain. On the bridges I originally used a light colored stain which lasted about two years. They are now coated with a mixture of roofing tar and mineral spirits. That starts out black and weathers to a dark grey which to me looks very much like the bridges on the Durango and Silverton RR. Not particularly pretty but seems to protect the wood quite well.


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