Best Clear Outdoor Finish?

[Derek Arita]

I just finished an outdoor plant stand and want to put some clear on it. My first thought was waterborne poly. Will that hold up or is there better?

[Darrin Davis]

Other than paint I've never really finished anything for outdoors but I do remember an episode of New Yankee Workshop where he put some spar varnish on a wooden exterior door to fight the elements.

[Stan Calow]

Even spar varnish needs to be re-applied every so often. I use clear deck finishes - Cabot, Olympic, Behr, etc., for this purpose. But again, they need to be maintained.

[peter gagliardi]

One word- Epifanes! It is the standard for the boatbuilding industry, for good reason. It , like all finishes requires maintenance, but much less than most.
The only downside, is that they recommend I think 4-6 coats, but you will get 3-5 years with no issue.
I get it at Jamestown Distributors, you definitely need to thin it to get it to lay well though.

[John TenEyck]

Epifanes is indeed great stuff. You have to apply 7 coats thinned various amounts, per the directions. It will last about 3 years where I live before you have to refresh it. The directions say to do a maintenance coat or two every year. It's definitely not a no maintenance finish but it does look great. General Finishes makes a water borne product called Exterior 450 which I'm told will last longer with no maintenance, maybe 5 years before requiring recoating.

John

[Peter Quinn]

There is no perfect exterior clear finish, each one is a compromise. Penetrating oils like Memsers give reasonable protection, are very easy to apply, but last maybe 1 year to 18 months before recoat is required. A light scuff and you recoat, so it's simple, looks very natural, just not a finish and forget it thing. Ephanes is around $80/quart and 7 coats are required. So it's pretty expensive, and I don't see lots of sheens available in the exterior varnish product. Boats look great shiny, not everything does. And let's face it....wooden boat owners spend 15% of their time in the water boating and 85% of their time refinishing their boats....or so it's been said! That should tell you something.

If you go water borne look for something made for exterior like Target coatings polycarbonate finish or general 450. I would t slap a basic interior water borne on and expect it to last. You need some uv protection and a finish designed to flex over a wide range of temperatures. Brittle acrylic cabinet finishes will not survive the out doors.

we just did a series of mahogany doors with a product called Sikens cetol door and window, it's a modified oil resin base, easy application approximately every 3 years, supposed to protect like a spar varnish but to chalk up on break down rather than peel like varnish so it only requires a skuff sanding and reapplication. It looked great on the doors, very natural satin sheen, 3 thin coats with light sanding, brush only, spray not recommended.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

This is not really an clear finish, it is a penetrating epoxy that is often used to restore rotting wood.

http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/

I have used it on wood, where it was the only finish..... outside. I did this last year to some wood that was not in the best shape, and it looks the same today as when I did the thing. No idea how it will hold up. This stuff is pricey, however.

When I built a bench that would have no follow-up for keeping it going well, I first used the epoxy and then I followed it up with an oil based paint generally used on metal. A year later it still looks brand new. I won't likely see it again for another year, hope it still looks good.

[Derek Arita]

Thanks for the replies. I may just leave it unfinished and let it weather. I put a driftwood finish on it anyways, so I'm hoping it will continue to age gracefully. Thanks again.

[Jim German]

I've had good luck using Target Coatings, EM9300 outside. Its easy to apply and has worked quite well for me.

[peter gagliardi]

The Sikkens IS easy to apply, but doesn't have the longevity of the Epifanes. I know, as we have a project that has +/- 12,000 sf of Sikkens on it. South face needs work every single year, southwest and east almost the same, you can get 2 1/2 on the north. It does not however "chalk on breakdown" , but rather cracks and peels. It is a light film finish- one coat is suggested, but with a sanding between, you CAN lay a light second coat, but there CAN be adhesion problems. It is however, probably the best balance of ease of application/longevity/cost of all the clear finishes out there.
The Epifanes isn't cheap, but you will have no issue getting 3+ years if done right. It is shiny, but you can add your own flatting agent and create your desired sheen from what Jamestown told me.

[John TenEyck]

I buy Epifanes Original Gloss Marine Varnish from my local West Marine for about $50/quart. It's a little cheaper some places on the web. A little does not go a long ways as you have to apply 7 coats, but it looks great and works as advertised. Just be sure to do the required maintenance BEFORE the film splits. I've relegated myself to applying a new coat every year - exactly as recommended.


John

[Ellery Becnel]

I am in the process of rebuilding 2 outdoor benches we bought 19 years ago. It had red oak for wood, cast iron sides. I am replacing the wood with select cypress, no knots!
The finish I decided on is 100 percent Tung Oil. I messed up the calculations and purchased too much wood, enough to make 2 end tables with a 12" ceramic tile insert.
I went with the Tung Oil because to re-coat wipe on (minimal or no sanding), 24 slats total. On all of the info I found this finish/protection, etc. seamed to offer the best in
wipe on and re-coating in external finishes. I did not want to use a poly/urethane as a finish, mainly because of the refinishing difficulties. I will update on the longevity of
the finish.

Ellery Becnel

[Peter Quinn]

The Sikkens IS easy to apply, but doesn't have the longevity of the Epifanes. I know, as we have a project that has +/- 12,000 sf of Sikkens on it. South face needs work every single year, southwest and east almost the same, you can get 2 1/2 on the north. It does not however "chalk on breakdown" , but rather cracks and peels. It is a light film finish- one coat is suggested, but with a sanding between, you CAN lay a light second coat, but there CAN be adhesion problems. It is however, probably the best balance of ease of application/longevity/cost of all the clear finishes out there.
The Epifanes isn't cheap, but you will have no issue getting 3+ years if done right. It is shiny, but you can add your own flatting agent and create your desired sheen from what Jamestown told me.

Sikkens has a lot of different products and seems to be changing their line regularly to keep pace with the VOC changes. The Pro Luxe Cetol Door and window we used was a 3 coat suggested application with a 24 hour dry between coats and a suggested life span of 3-5 years before reapplication. I'd guess it does not have the longevity of a real marine varnish because its just not that thick a coating, but you are not looking at a total sand back to wood for reapplication.

[Andrew Joiner]

If you Goggle "55 month exposure oil and varnish test results" you'll see details of a good time exposure test.
Helmsman Spar Urethane was the best "coating" type finish and it says for oil finishes:
" Of the oils the DIY mix of 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 spar varnish and 1/3 turpentine seems superior to any of the store bought mixes."

[Joe Calhoon]

We used Sikkens Door and Window and Cetol 1 & 23 for many years. Glad to be done with that product. The best way to apply Door and Window is to spray it and not sand between coats to avoid peeling the finish. You can get a nice finish but it will not last long. The other bad thing is it needs to set for at least a week to harden up enough for handling. These finishes are bad for fungus growth. They are recoatable if you catch them at the right time. We tried spar varnish early on in door building. (nothing as good as Epifanes though) The problem with these is stripping it down for refinish. Usually a new door could be built faster than the refinish time.

Outdoor furniture and planters I would not use a film finish. I think these products are best left to go gray and form natures crust. If you don't want gray use a product like Osmo or the water base wax effect finishes from Europe and renew a couple times a year. I use these products on wood skis we build.

[Brian Tymchak]

I have read a couple things in the last year or so about a clear oil based paint that does better than marine varnishes. Here'e one article (http://community.woodmagazine.com/t5/Steve-Mickley/quot-Paint-quot-your-exterior-projects/bc-p/207825#M7)I just googled up. You might want to post over in the project finishing forum. They might know something about it.

[Cody Colston]

Any outdoor finish needs a high solids content to protect the wood from the UV exposure. Spar varnish does not have a high solids content. That's why paint is the most effective outdoor finish. A marine varnish is what I use, specifically Epifanes Gloss. The gloss helps to reflect the UV rays. I also get mine from Jamestown distributors. They recommend a minimum of 7 coats, with the first three thinned 50%, 25% and 15%. The last four go on full strength and the varnish is as thick as karo syrup due to the high solids.

For a non-gloss finish you might consider Onetime Finish. http://onetimewood.com/ It comes in various shades, including natural which adds little color. It has a 7 year guarantee and is not a film finish so no scraping/sanding is required to refresh it. It is a bit pricey.

[Shawn Pixley]

One word- Epifanes! It is the standard for the boatbuilding industry, for good reason. It , like all finishes requires maintenance, but much less than most.
The only downside, is that they recommend I think 4-6 coats, but you will get 3-5 years with no issue.
I get it at Jamestown Distributors, you definitely need to thin it to get it to lay well though.

I echo the Epiphanes. If applied properly, exposed to sun and weather 2-3 years. Under cover and in shade, much longer where I live. I've used it on projects and my boat.