Varnish again.....mixing types

[Fascadale]

I have some exterior woodwork which I intend to varnish

I had been thinking of using the usual marine products

However, it has been suggested that one could use the very tough and hard wearing (ronseal type) interior floor varnish as base coats then overcoat it with UV protective marine products. 4 coats of each perhaps.

I can see a logic to this but I wonder about mixing such different types of varnish

Your thoughts?

 

[pyrojames]

I am not sure that this will work. If you overcoat the Ronseal, then the wearing surface will be the varnish anyway. My experience of indoor Ronseal in the house, is that it is not that waterproof, and the timber darkens until it has dried out again. I suspect that if the varnish gets worn or chipped, the then water will get into the Ronseal and you will have a mess.

 

[TernVI]

I'm wondering if the water based Ronseal needs air and/or UV to fully cure.
I've used it on floors and it was very good, but when new it seemed to go slightly cloudy where water spots landed.
After a year, no problem.
After a dozen or so years, still looked OK when I sold the house.
Obviously technology moves on.
Maybe look for a UV filtering water based varnish?

 

[Tranona]

Why not use woodstains such as Cetol no7 plus over Cetol HLS then you can forget about it for years to come. Only drawback is that it does not give the furniture style gloss finish but will protect your woodwork better with far less work.

 

[TernVI]

Why not use woodstains such as Cetol no7 plus over Cetol HLS then you can forget about it for years to come. Only drawback is that it does not give the furniture style gloss finish but will protect your woodwork better with far less work.

Because it looks horrible?

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Because it looks horrible?

Is the right answer.
I scraped my caprail and did it properly last year after 3 years of hating how it looked. The previous owner was a lovely guy but far more interested in ease of maintenance over aesthetics than I am.

 

[Pye_End]

Is the right answer.
I scraped my caprail and did it properly last year after 3 years of hating how it looked. The previous owner was a lovely guy but far more interested in ease of maintenance over aesthetics than I am.

Did he put the combination that Tranona specified? With a larger scope for tints, that Cetol combination gives a good finish - much better than the International option.

To the OP - what wood are you putting it on? If teak then I would agree with Tranona. If not, then Epiphanes (or perhaps Le Tonk). Outside you really need something flexible.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Did he put the combination that Tranona specified? With a larger scope for tints, that Cetol combination gives a good finish - much better than the International option.

To the OP - what wood are you putting it on? If teak then I would agree with Tranona. If not, then Epiphanes (or perhaps Le Tonk). Outside you really need something flexible.

No idea. It was some kind of turd brown goop normally reserved for agricultural sheds. (He was a farmer). She's wearing Epifanes
now.

 

[Poignard]

I use Epifanes Rapidcoat. It is easy to apply and quick drying. If conditions are right you can get 3 coats on in a day.

It is easy to maintain as it doesn't seem to flake and a quick rub down and more coats is all it needs.

The finish is not shiny; it's a semi-matte but there's nothing to stop you overcoating with Epifanes Varnish if you want a shine.

Jamestown Distributors

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I use Epifanes Rapidcoat. It is easy to apply and quick drying. If conditions are right you can get 3 coats on in a day.

It is easy to maintain as it doesn't seem to flake and a quick rub down and more coats is all it needs.

The finish is not shiny; it's a semi-matte but there's nothing to stop you overcoating with Epifanes Varnish if you want a shine.

Jamestown Distributors

Exactly what I did with a coat of shiny clear over the top.
6 coats in 2 days followed by the top coat.

edit to say I used rapid clear rather than rapid coat.

 

[Tranona]

Because it looks horrible?

No it does not.

Some examples. Mast douglas fir with Cetol, Companionway doors teak with Woodskin. Boat Woodskin, last taken back to bare wood over 10 years before these photos, light rub down and one coat before that photo was taken.

When you own a wooden boat for 40 years you get to work out what sort of materials work - or you could go into the back numbers of PBO and Classic Boat and read Richard Hares' long term tests on bright finishes and if you are a pragmatist you will never use conventional "yacht" finishes again. That mast (which was made in 1963) for example stood out in the open in the rack for 9 years. It had been coated with Sikkens 10 years previously. While the top side exposed to the elements had degraded. 70% of it was fine. Stripped back to bare wood and Cetol HLS then No7 top coat applied. Good as new and looked great as you can see from the photos. The teak doors were left bare and oiled for the first 4 years then cleaned with Wessex teak cleaner, rubbed down and 3 coats of Woodskin. The boat has a mixture of mahogany, iroko and teak trim and khaya veneered ply coachroof sides For the first 20 years I owned it I tried various types of yacht varnishes, all hard work and did not last, then I switched to porous woodstains and never looked back. You are right the early ones did not look great, but things have moved on and all the yacht paint makers offer woodstain type products now. If I was starting again with a wooden boat, Cetol would be my first choice.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Well as I'm not the sort to comment on another man's boat I'm out.