I'm definitely going for the wax treatment from here on in (finally perfected the process) but for what it's worth, if I were going to put out for an exterior finish, expenses be darned, I'd opt for Sikkens Cetol. There is simply no other product on the market that comes close for longevity. I used it on the exterior cedar shingles and trim on my house and after almost 10 years it still looks like new. I have some cedar hive bodies which I intend to leave untreated.