spar marine varnish finishing

[Paul Fornasier]

I'm in the process of refurbishing a typical bench with cast iron sides and back plate.
The cast iron part is done and completed...painted with 2 coats of tremclad rust paint, with a tremclad rust paint clear coat.

The slats are made of white oak. I stained them with an Old Masters golden oak penetrating stain, and I've been in the
process of applying Old Masters marine spar varnish.

After 2 coats of marine spar varnish, I'm finding that it never seems to dry to the point where it is perfectly smooth to the touch. It always seems to be very slightly tacky. Is this a characteristic of marine spar varnish?

In addition, how many coats are people normally doing with this stuff....on a surface that will be for occasional seating? I was thinking about doing 4 coats.....and then rubbing it down...to bring it to more of a satin to flat finish, rather than gloss, as it is now.

As far as the rubbing down, I can imagine that I need to wait until the surface is as cured as possible. What is the recommended form to rub it down. The products I currently have are 0000 steel wool, as well as some pumice and rottenstone. Any recommendations with those products? I've never rubbed down a finish before.

[John TenEyck]

Spar varnish doesn't cure very hard, by design, so that it can stretch with the wood during the seasons. It may feel a little tacky, but as long as you can't leave a fingerprint then it is curing OK. But it won't cure hard enough to rub out. You'll be able to sand between coats, gently, but that's about it. In the end, it's outdoor furniture.

How many coats. How many does it say on the can? I've used Epifanes (arguably the best of the class) and 7 coats is recommended. Not fun, but it lasts really well with just one or two maintenance coats per year.

John

[Paul Fornasier]

Thanks John. That makes a lot of sense....and saves me the work of rubbing down...lol. The can says to do a minimum of 3 for outdoor use. I think I'll still go with 4. I'll be buying Epifanes next time around, as I've found that it's actually available in Canada. We always get screwed in Canada, when it comes to product selection, as compared to the US. One product that would be nice to have is Zinsser Sealcoat. I end up having to buy blonde shellac flakes, if I want a coat of de-waxed shellac.

[Howard Acheson]

What has been the temperature in the space where you are doing your finishing? Because spar varnish is formulated to be flexible, it should be applied in temperatures of 55 to 80 degrees.

What is the reason for using "spar" varnish? A standard varnish would be more protective and durable.

[Prashun Patel]

If you want that rubbed out look, then I suggest you just buy a can of Epifanes Rubbed Effect varnish. It has the flatteners in there, and applies and looks superb. You'll save yourself a lot of time and effort.

Also, I have had varying degrees of success with spar varnish. I suspect - but cannot corroborate - that it spoils faster in the can than other varnishes. I've also had Cabots spar varnish not dry and be lumpy in the can.

I bought 2 cans of Epifanes on a recent project: one was the gloss, one was the Rubbed Effect. The gloss took 48 hours to dry and still remained 'grabby' as you are experiencing. The rubbed effect dried well within 24 hours.

Epifanes recommends doing 2-3 bottom coats of the gloss before topping with 1-2 of the Rubbed product. So, you may be at the perfect time for it.

[Paul Fornasier]

The temperature in the space is generally around the low to mid 60's F, although I did use a heater at times, to bring it up to around 70.
The reason I used a spar varnish was because I thought it was more durable in an outdoor setting, and often with better UV resistance than other products.
If you have suggestions for better products for this kind of use, then I would love to hear it. I'm generally new to the finishing game, and my creations are just for personal use, at this point in time.
The bench will be kept outdoors most of the year....experiencing everything from hot summer heat...to snow in the winter...in Toronto, Ontario.

I've tossed the idea of rubbing the finish down. I'm gonna stick with the gloss finish on this project. I'm a little jaded in regard to using anything other than gloss finishes,
after using a matte poly on a previous project, and hating what it did to the tones of the finish. In regard to Epifanes, I don't want to mix products. I've used Old Masters up to now, and I will stick with it on this one.
Once I move to the Epifanes product, I'll consider their selection.

[John TenEyck]

Paul, I have several pieces of outdoor furniture that I finished with Epifanes. I found that covering them in the winter greatly reduces the damage they sustain. It must the freeze, thaw, sun and moisture, but I'm pretty sure I saw more damage after being left uncovered over the winter than I have from the summer. I live near Niagara Falls so we have about the same kinds of weather. Since I've been putting a tarp cover over them I have seen very little winter damage.

John

[Paul Fornasier]

Thanks, John. I would agree with you. I think my normal routine with this bench will be to either move it under a covered gazebo-like shelter during the winter, or....last resort...in the garage. I'm always trying to minimize what I store in the garage....to maximize my work space. A tarp would work also, of course.

[Art Mann]

I agree with John about the Epifanes material. The "spar" varnish you are likely to find in your local big box store is hardly any better than cheap polyurethane. I have some cypress Adirondack chairs on our front porch.The porch faces North and the chairs don't get direct sun and are protected from rain except for what blows in during a storm. I finished them with Minwax spar varnish. They looked good for about a year before the vanish started cracking and peeling and mildew started growing on the exposed wood. I live in an area where the winter temperatures don't even go below freezing all that much.

[Peter Froh]

One product that would be nice to have is Zinsser Sealcoat. I end up having to buy blonde shellac flakes, if I want a coat of de-waxed shellac.

Home Hardware sells seal coat but when I ordered t I had to buy 2 gallons at a time. I'm sure some professional paint stores sell it too.