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EDIT: I am using pine wood, and I intend to plug the holes if I can find xl pocket hole plugs. I do not intend for this piece to last decades. Since this is my first outdoor furniture build, if I get 10 years out of it I will be happy.

I am building an outdoor dining table. I'm using primarily pocket holes to assemble, roughly 34 XL pocket holes. If I stain and seal, then drill the pocket holes, I'll be exposing wood that is unfinished. How much does that matter for pocket holes? Extra context in case it matters:

  • table will be used in the Mid Atlantic USA, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Weather contains all 4 seasons, it does get pretty hot and humid in the summer but only for a couple of months.

I know this kind of question has been asked over and over, but I'm curious to know how to decide when to finish then assemble, or assemble then finish. Specifically for outdoor furniture. Does it matter the number and size of the pocket holes? I'm guessing other modern joinery wouldn't matter since the methods don't expose as much wood as pocket holes, but I'm unsure.

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    Welcome to WSE. What kind of wood are you using?
    – Ashlar ♦
    Commented Aug 30, 2023 at 23:14
  • The usual positioning of pocket holes may make this irrelevant unless an unusually long lifespan is envisaged. Erring on the side of caution however, I think the usual (just preference) applies if you plan to fill/plug the holes.
    – Graphus
    Commented Aug 31, 2023 at 11:33
  • @Ashlar I am using untreated pine wood
    – Jason
    Commented Aug 31, 2023 at 12:27
  • @Graphus I intend to plug the holes if I can find xl pocket hole plugs. I do not intend for this piece to last decades. Since this is my first outdoor furniture build, if I get 10 years out of it I will be happy.
    – Jason
    Commented Aug 31, 2023 at 12:27
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    Re. plugging the holes, just look for dowel of the right diameter, and if that's not easily findable you can make your own no problem. You can saw pretty much flush with any Japanese-style saw after the glue sets.
    – Graphus
    Commented Sep 2, 2023 at 6:38

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If I stain and seal, then drill the pocket holes, I'll be exposing wood that is unfinished.

If bare wood being exposed by the drilling is a major concern there's a simple solution: don't do it ;-)

If the intent is to leave the holes open there is basically no reason to drill them after finish application is there? So do all the drilling, then finish and all the holes can get the same level of protection as the other surfaces.

A reason to finish first and then drill is if you want the holes to be bare wood, to ensure good glue bonds for plugs, or proper bonding of any filler material. Although obviously finishing at the end also works fine here too.

How much does that matter for pocket holes?

Given the typical locations of pocket holes – being hidden from view does also mean they're largely protected from weather — I'm not sure it's much of an issue really.

However, if you'd prefer to err on the side of caution then by all means protect the holes with finish, plug them or fill them. It's so little extra effort regardless of which option is selected it's more a question of why not do it than why do it.

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  • Yeah, since the holes are going to be on the bottom, you'd have to have significant splashing or deep snow before you get much water collecting here. Especially the holes that are in vertical pieces.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 1, 2023 at 21:35

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