Timber Vitals makes water repellents for the wood people actually care about — outdoor saunas, cabins, decks, fences, porches, and pergolas. Two products, no filler line, no seasonal reformulations.
Penetrating, Not Film-Forming
Most exterior wood products sit on top of the wood. A film looks good the first season, then traps moisture underneath, and eventually cracks, blisters, and peels — which means sanding or stripping before you can recoat.
Our products use silane/siloxane chemistry that forms a micro-molecular chemical and mechanical bond inside the wood instead. There is no surface film to fail. The treated wood repels water while staying highly vapor-permeable, so moisture that gets in can still get out. Nothing to peel, nothing to strip.
The Numbers We Publish
We put independent test results on our technical data sheets because coatings claims are cheap and test methods are not.
- Wind-driven rain, ASTM E-514-86 — 98.7% leak reduction
- Water repellency, ASTM C67-87 — 98.6% effective
- Water vapor transmission, ASTM D-1653-71 — 100% vapor permeable
- Accelerated weathering, ASTM G-53 — 3,500 hours, no change
- Surface burning, ASTM E84 — Flame Spread 0, Smoke Development 0
- Chloride ion intrusion, NCHRP No. 244 Series IV — 95% reduction
Built Around Softwood
Western red cedar, Nordic spruce, and thermally modified softwoods are the materials outdoor saunas are actually built from, and they are far more porous than the tropical hardwoods most decking products are formulated around. That porosity is why a product rated at 300 square feet per gallon on ipe delivers closer to 150 on cedar.
We publish coverage by species rather than a single flattering number, and our sauna guidance assumes two flood coats — roughly 75 square feet of finished surface per gallon. A 4-person barrel sauna needs about 2 gallons. An 8-person barrel needs about 4. We would rather you buy the right amount once than under-apply and blame the chemistry.
Two Products, Two Formats
Wood Sealer is a clear concentrate. One 32 oz bottle dilutes 1:7 with clean water to make two finished gallons, at 0 g/L VOC, with a service life of up to 5 years. Choose it when you want protection without changing how the wood looks.
Tinted Waterproofer is ready to use in 1-gallon containers, in Cedar Bark, Golden Honey, and Natural Brown. It delivers color and water repellency in a single step, leaves a flat translucent finish that still shows the grain, and carries a service life of up to 3 years. Choose it when you want to tone new wood or even out weathered wood.
Both are solvent-free, non-flammable, near pH neutral, contain no known carcinogens and no chemicals listed under California Proposition 65, and are not classified as hazardous under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. Both are for exterior surfaces only — never for interior sauna benches, walls, or ceilings.
Documentation, Not Marketing Copy
Every product has a full Technical Data Sheet and a GHS-aligned 16-section Safety Data Sheet covering coverage rates, dilution, surface preparation, application method, temperature and moisture limits, first aid, storage, and disposal. If you are specifying material for a client project or need documentation for a jobsite file, ask and we will send it. SDS and TDS sheets can be found on each product page.
Who We Are
Timber Vitals is a division of MJL Holdings, LLC, based in New Jersey.
Email: michael@mjlholdingsllc.com
Questions about a specific wood species, an unusual substrate, coverage on a large job, or custom colors for volume orders — contact us before you order. Always run a test panel to confirm fit, finish, and application rate before general application.