Please help suggest some exterior clear gloss coat for a wood board painting !

[lena quynh le]

I have just painted a picture on a big wood board with oil paint.
The woodboard will be put outdoor in the garden.
So now i try to find some high gloss clear coat to protect the the woodboard.
I read some threads in the forum to find some suggestion and saw the comments that no need to put on any coat for oil paint woodwork.
However, i'm afraid that lots of painting details and paterns on the wood board will become dim when leaving outdoor.

Please give me some advice about the coat or suggest some exterior clear coat with high gloss that doesn't affect the layer of oil paint below.
thanks very much.

[Harvey Pascoe]

What you are attempting to do will likely only preserve your painting for a few years at best. To my knowledge, no one has yet figured out how to preserve a sign painted on wood because wood is the problem.

I do not know of any perfectly clear coatings short of very costly catalyzed commercial clear coats that will withstand the elements, particularly UV. I would go with a marine spar varnish which is not clear but amber, but at least will withstand the elements. Oil paintings are sealed with varnish, so this shouldn't be too much of an issue. Be sure to fully seal all the wood very thoroughly, otherwise it will absorb water and your painting will lift off, varnish and all.

[John TenEyck]

Many people say exterior clear paint base is very durable. Paint base is the stuff to which they add the colorants when you order custom colors. I've never used it. What I have used is Epifanes Marine varnish, and it is great stuff. It's a rather amber color and requires you to put on 7 coats, but it lasts very well on wood out in the rain and sun. I've also heard that General Finishes 450 exterior finish is very good, with equally good outdoor durability, and I think it's nearly water clear. All of these products have UV stabilizers in them, and the paint base probably has mildewcide in it as well. Hope this helps.

[lena quynh le]

Thank you very much.

I'll try and hope this will work well :).