Which varnish?

[TiggerToo]

If you were to recommend a varnish to give the highest possible gloss, with good resistance to scratching, and reasonable resistance to water, what sort would you name?

It does not matter how challenging the application conditions might be.

 

[robmcg]

Le Tonkinois?

 

[lw395]

Perfection 2 pot?

 

[westernman]

Le Tonkinois?

While I am quite a fan of Le Tonkinois, it does not give the depth of gloss you can get with a good two pack varnish. Of course the two pack is probably going to be more sensitive to UV and when the water gets under it somewhere, it will come off in ugly chunks - but if a deep gloss is what you are after two pack or two pack over epoxy is the way to do it.

 

[PhillM]

Epifanes, nothing beats it IMHO

 

[Keith 66]

Forget two pack, Epifanes oil based is by far the best.

 

[robmcg]

Forget two pack, Epifanes oil based is by far the best.

Have used Epifanes inside the boat but must admit I got better results with Ronseal from Homebase!

Rob

 

[Amulet]

If you were to recommend a varnish to give the highest possible gloss, with good resistance to scratching, and reasonable resistance to water, what sort would you name?

It does not matter how challenging the application conditions might be.

UV resistance? Epifanes if it is out in the sun. Any respectable two pot if it is not.

Does "challenging" include time consuming? Ten coats of Epifanes with a couple of days between is a slow business. Skippers six coats a day system for two part varnish will produce a very fine finish in a couple of days, but doesn't look nice after a few years in the sun.

 

[TQA]

Epifanes, nothing beats it IMHO

+1

 

[Boo2]

Le Tonkinois?

Le Tonk is fine and has a nice gloss but it's rather soft and I wouldn't call it scratch resistant.

Boo2

 

[MikeBz]

A good 2-pot poly (Blakes/Hempel Diamond or International) is more durable and has much better UV resistance than a 1-pot.

However for best appearance and pleasure of application I would go with Epifanes High Gloss, it's beautiful stuff.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I too am a fan of Epifanes if that makes any difference to the debate...

 

[Daydream believer]

If applied with the greatest of skill then most varnishes give a good gloss & which one tends to be a matter of personal preference
I would be wary of those needing lots of coats as they tend to look like "toffee"
If you have bare wood & want protection a couple of coats of West epoxy resin first then varnish is a good option
West epoxy is no good on its own, it has to be overcoated with varnish but gives a good hard surface as a base

 

[michael_w]

Another vote for Epifanes; i's the dog's whotsists. As used by the mega yachts (and lesser mortals) in the Caribbean.

 

[macd]

Epifanes. I hate varnishing and usually get fairly lousy results, but I'm really quite smug about the refurbed cockpit table.

 

[Poignard]

If applied with the greatest of skill then most varnishes give a good gloss & which one tends to be a matter of personal preference
I would be wary of those needing lots of coats as they tend to look like "toffee"

Also, those needing lots of coats need lots of days to apply them, in good sailing weather.

If you have bare wood & want protection a couple of coats of West epoxy resin first then varnish is a good option
West epoxy is no good on its own, it has to be overcoated with varnish but gives a good hard surface as a base

But if you need to strip back for any reason, eg because water has crept in under the epoxy where it may have cracked at joints in the woodwork, it is very hard work getting it off.

 

[Ru88ell]

Collars, one of the, if not the leading wooden spar suppliers recommends Epifanes too.

http://www.collars.co.uk/info/44/recent_articles/45/our_own_varnish_test

 

[PhillM]

I got talked in skippers for a strip back and varnish by a (to remain unnamed) yard. Its rubbish. It never looked that good and less than 6 months on it was cracked and had water underneath. So, skippers, been there, paid for that to be done and will soon be taking it all off and doing it again, this time myself and properly.

Personally, I think that 2 pack is only useful for stable wood like ply with a surface coat. For solid hardwood I would only ever use a one pack. I found International was OK but for a really good finish its Epifanes.

 

[sideshowbob]

Forget two pack, Epifanes oil based is by far the best.

+1

 

[Stemar]

Seems to me that any varnish will look great until water makes its way underneath and it starts to flake. Then the nightmare starts. Le Tonkinois does resist flaking better than most others but, however you go about it, a glossy finish over a significant area is hard work to do and harder work to maintain. OK, if you've got a classic beauty you enter in concours d'elegance, but not, to my mind for a boat to go sailing with unless you're wealthy enough to employ people to do the work for you, when maintaining that sort of appearance could be a good way of remedying your sinful state of wealth.

For a practical finish outside, after my initial experiences with varnish, I've favoured an oil finish; when it gets past its best, a quick wipe over with some more restores the beauty and dropping something hard on it doesn't mean a complete strip and start again. Inside, Ronseal(?) Diamond floor varnish has lasted well and still looks good seven years later, though I don't, as you've probably gathered by now, run a concours boat!