Varnish or epoxy?

[plimb]

The mahogany grab rails on my recently aquired Sunspot 15 are almost naked of varnish but otherwise appear sound. I should like to treat them with epoxy rather than varnish after stripping them completely as I think this would give them added strength. I would wish to thicken the epoxy slightly to make application easier and would like advice as to which filler additive would be best to strengthen the wood?

 

[TQA]

As epoxy is not tolerant of UV you need to apply a UV resistant varnish on top of the epoxy.

Should you ever need to strip back to bare wood life will be very difficult.

Me, I would varnish.

 

[TQA]

As epoxy is not tolerant of UV you need to apply a UV resistant varnish on top of the epoxy.

Should you ever need to strip back to bare wood life will be very difficult.

Me, I would varnish.

 

[PhillM]

As epoxy is not tolerant of UV you need to apply a UV resistant varnish on top of the epoxy.

Should you ever need to strip back to bare wood life will be very difficult.

Me, I would varnish.

+2

Mahogany also looks lovely when its varnished

If you really want to reduce maintenance, I would think about Skippers 6 coats a day. A yard used some on my boat and I wasn't best pleased as I had heard (and i think repeated - sorry) a few negative comments.

When I came to strip it off 5 years later to re-do, it was actually quite easy and being able to build up many coats over 2 days was really useful. Its not temperature fussy either, meaning you can do it almost any time of year.

Looks pretty good to (but not as nice as epifanes).

 

[pmagowan]

I use epifanes but you need to get about 8 coats, starting with significant thinning and working up to neat. At least 5 coats neat.

As the others have said the epoxy is not UV tollerant although you can get UV additives for some. They are generally not as good as the varnish at resisting UV. The other problem is that many epoxies are not particularly flexible and so if the wood is not completely sealed they will suffer from the wood expanding and contracting with changes in humidity. Once they fail they will be very difficult to get off and require mucho elbow grease.

I prefer varnish but I am thinking of ways to protect it over winter, covers etc as this is when most of the damage appears to happen.

 

[rogerball0]

The mahogany grab rails on my recently aquired Sunspot 15 are almost naked of varnish but otherwise appear sound. I should like to treat them with epoxy rather than varnish after stripping them completely as I think this would give them added strength. I would wish to thicken the epoxy slightly to make application easier and would like advice as to which filler additive would be best to strengthen the wood?

Both, epoxy first then varnish:

 

[Tranona]

The mahogany grab rails on my recently aquired Sunspot 15 are almost naked of varnish but otherwise appear sound. I should like to treat them with epoxy rather than varnish after stripping them completely as I think this would give them added strength. I would wish to thicken the epoxy slightly to make application easier and would like advice as to which filler additive would be best to strengthen the wood?

Save yourself a lot of work and hassle and use International woodskin.

Epoxy will do nothing for strength of solid wood and as others have said is not UV resistant.

Conventional varnish on handrails is difficult to apply properly and keep from breaking up. A permeable finish such as the one suggested is easy to apply, way outlasts conventional finishes and easy to touch up if it does get damaged.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Save yourself a lot of work and hassle and use International woodskin.

I'm reckoning on two to three full days work next spring to remove that abominable stuff from my boat. It looked lovely when it went on, and for that summer, but after a winter about 1/3 of it was still fine, 1/3 had flaked off all together and 1/3 was loose enough, though still adhering, for a nasty yellow effect with black where water had got in.

Never again. Never.

 

[Tranona]

I'm reckoning on two to three full days work next spring to remove that abominable stuff from my boat. It looked lovely when it went on, and for that summer, but after a winter about 1/3 of it was still fine, 1/3 had flaked off all together and 1/3 was loose enough, though still adhering, for a nasty yellow effect with black where water had got in.

Never again. Never.

Afraid you seem to be the lone wolf on this one. Nobody else seems to have reported similar problems.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

Plimb......Definatly not epoxy for your job!

I love varnished boats but very much dislike the idea of not being able to keep up with its requirements, so I've varnished nothing in 5 years and that which was varnished is shedding it.

I have just left as much of my boats teak on the outside to go 'grey'.

However, I've had a little water ingress in the saloons teak topsides and I gave up with oiling as it's a right hassle and applied some Ronseal wood treatment that I use on our summerhouse and workshop, that also has water repelling properties.

As nothing adheres to teak for long I wait to see what will happen when after another couple of coats in the spring she is uncovered to the elements.

As the summer in NW Spain was generally warm this year I only noticed a drip or two after torrential rain in early October, just before she was covered so very much a last minute effort.

S..

 

[macd]

Epoxy will do nothing for strength of solid wood and as others have said is not UV resistant.

+1
Plimb, you'd be wasting time and money applying epoxy for the reason you propose, with or without any bulking agent.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Afraid you seem to be the lone wolf on this one. Nobody else seems to have reported similar problems.

When I raised it before quite a few people had. Sorry. As with many other products, it seems to work for some people but not others. Perhaps it doesn't like the harsh Scottish climate.

 

[prof pat pending]

The mahogany grab rails on my recently aquired Sunspot 15 are almost naked of varnish but otherwise appear sound. I should like to treat them with epoxy rather than varnish after stripping them completely as I think this would give them added strength. I would wish to thicken the epoxy slightly to make application easier and would like advice as to which filler additive would be best to strengthen the wood?

If you are looking to strengthen it, you want to go the other way and use a really low viscosity epoxy such as eposeal 300 and then varnish over the top.

 

[Tranona]

As with many other products, it seems to work for some people but not others. Perhaps it doesn't like the harsh Scottish climate.

Which way did you vote?

(Only joking)

 

[PotatoNavigator]

Keep putting on coats of Le Tonkinois until you forget how many are on there and you'll be good for ages :encouragement:. Oh, better start now though if you want it to be ready for next season, it takes about a thousand years to dry. My spare room is currently filled with various removable bits of brightwork.

 

[Amulet]

No to epoxy. Varnish. Epifanes if you have skill, time and patience. Two part polyurethane if not.

 

[PhillM]

No to epoxy. Varnish. Epifanes if you have skill, time and patience. Two part polyurethane if not.

Yeah, I'd agree with that horses for courses. Epifanes for a beautiful finish or skippers 2 part for speed, durability and acceptable finish.

 

[stephen_h]

If you want something that will last try Colean. Expensive and not easy to use but well worth the effort.

 

[Mel]

If you are looking to strengthen it, you want to go the other way and use a really low viscosity epoxy such as eposeal 300 and then varnish over the top.

My boat has more wood showing than most in the marina where she is kept. I now take back to the bare wood and use eposeal that goes on really easily (several coats as it dries quickly) then at least 4 coats of yacht varnish from Wicks or similar. More varnish then annually after light rub down. Used on mahogany, teak, pine, afromosia and others.

 

[Ruffles]

I only varnish on the kitchen table. Anything that doesn't fit in a marina trolley stays as bare wood.

Mind you I do need to replace the handrails this year!

I did epoxy and then varnish the trim on the hatch once. Looked lovely for six months. Then water got in through the screw holes at the back. It was too much hassle getting the epoxy off so I made a new piece.