Does anyone have an opinion on using poplar for a sign that will be outside
I made this for a friend last year. He wanted the natural poplar because he likes the look of it. The sign doesn’t stay outside full-time, he puts it out only when his shop is open, rain or shine though.
I sealed it with Danish oil and then a few coats of spar urethane to even out the finish.
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Popular is considered a hardwood but barely. Depending on how you finish it I would think Poplar is not very rot resistant. Poplar is inexpensive and will carve well but other woods would work better for outdoor. White Oak is what they made sailing ships out of. That is because it is rot resistant. Ipe wood is also rot resistant but is a little more exotic. However they are using Ipe for making decks so maybe you can find some locally.
Poplar would work but is very low on my list of desirable wood to work with. Sometimes Poplar has purple and green streaks inside it. If it has those lay it out in the sun for a couple of hours and it will almost disappear. I guess the UV light kills the undesireable colors.
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Not my favorite to work with for sure. It’s very stringy.
Poplar needs to be properly sealed as it is extremely prone to warping based on moisture content.