Post #765070 by AkronTiki on Wed, Jun 15, 2016 1:31 PM

I’m in Ohio, too (during the summer, we pronounce it Oh-HEE-Oh – the lost Hawaiian Island) but the winters are tough. I’ve used often used 2’-6” hollow core lauan doors for my bar top; everything gets covered in the winter but after the first one warped to hell, I just remove it and keep it in the garage during the winter, the bar itself gets pushed up against the house and covered with thin plywood or whatever else I can find, then a plastic tarp. Like most of my stuff, it sits on my deck overlooking the pool.

I had a little 3-shelf bookcase to store mugs and other stuff on – I paid $10 at a thrift store and even though it was made of cheap plywood, plenty of paint kept it useful for about 6 years; it finally fell apart this spring, but I found a little solid wood stand with turned legs to replace it.

Plenty of paint and stain help me get through – I usually have to give some things a brief touch-up each spring, but it doesn’t take long. If it can get stored in the garage or shed, it is. The biggest problem I seem to have is watching some items fade so badly – and sometimes so quickly – tin signs, door mats, etc. There may be a spray on UV protectant, but who knows if that would work…

[ Edited by: AkronTiki 2016-06-15 13:32 ]