Weathering performance of Oak (Quercus petrae) and Chestnut (Castanea sativa) as well as various exterior coatings were investigated. Alkyd primer + alkyd paint and alkyd primer + alkyd resin varnish increased the glossiness in chestnut and oak, respectively. Besides, alkyd primer and acrylic stain had little effect on the change of the glossiness for both species. However, alkyd stain significantly decreased the glossiness not only for chestnut but also oak after weathering. Acrylic stain receded the total color change (Delta E*) compared with the alkyd paint or stain. Alkyd-based stain showed much better performance against atmospheric conditions compared with other coatings. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 36, 72-78, 2011; Published online 24 February 2010 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/col.20581