coating dead bamboo stalks.... HELP!!!

hey guys, as some would know, i work at a local landscaping business. well we have tons of bamboo around the shop, well we use the dead stalks around the shop to help support smaller trees such as japanese maples ect. well i got to thinking, and wanted to maybe make a tiki bar out of this stuff, or at least use it to cover the actual wood i would use.

what i want to know is there something i can put on it to prevent it from further decomposition? such as a polyurethane or a clear coat of some sort? thanks! i think for my first few projects with this stuff i may make towel racks for my tiki bathroom. i will try to post some picks, they are all about 5-6 ft stalks and they are all already maturely brown(dead). so no green on them anymore.... please help if possible!

Typically, the boo will grey and becaome mottled over time if left outside. That is not to say that it is "decomposing". Not at all.

Iv'e discovered that some elbow grease applied with a sander (Other more experienced will chime in hopefully soon) will remove said grey mottling. Exposed, should be a light golden wood. Apply poly to it and it stays golden.

I use a flap wheel on a straight neck grinder. I can finish an eight foot length of 4 in. Boo in about a half hr.

Mahalo and welcome to TC. For those that don't know you.

well the size of these are about 5-6 ft. but they are only 1.2inch thick, i would love bigger buthavent found any yet, so polyurethane will do the job? i didnt know if resin was a possibility. these arent really gray, they are 98% tan/brown. i will try to post pics...

Is this bamboo going to be outside?
Where do you live?
Bamboo + water = rot

Think of the bamboo poles as wood. You can coat them with polyurethane and it will protect them for a while, but they'll last only a couple of years or so outside in the sun and water before they start to really deteriorate. If you keep them outside but under cover out of rain and sun they will keep nice for many years. If you keep them inside, they'll stay nice for longer than we will!