How do I care for/Maintain a Palmwood Tiki Pole?

Just purchased my first tiki pole for the backyard. It is palmwood with the burned look in the cuts. It is likely that this pole will be sprayed by my sprinklers every day so what can I do to extend its life?

Thanks

My ChikiTiki Tiki is inside, and am hoping to one day obtain an exact "Hawaiian Eye" tiki, and I too had the same concern as you Monkeyman, and I even asked quite a few questions back in July of 2002, but didn't get a whole lot of answers about tiki upkeep then.

Hopefully some of others can shed some light on their experiences.

Move it away from the sprinklers if possible, keep it off the ground (stepping stone), out of full sun unless it's cured completely.

Hey, I thought I replied to this yesterday. Anyways, Follow JT's advice. Also try to put some Thompson's waterseal on there.

Hey Monkeyman, Where did you get your Palm tiki?

Wayne Coombs recommends waterproofing (not sealing) with a product made by Behr and sold at home depot. It darkened the color of our tiki a bit, but it is holding up well in the Florida sun/rain/humidity. Stick the tiki in a plastic mortar pan and coat it with a brush making sure you let the trunk absorb some of the liquid through it's base, then flip it over so it can do the same thing through the top.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-05-20 15:23 ]

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-05-20 15:24 ]