Exterior Poly Recommendation

[Ed Gibbons]

Finishing outside bench and want to use acrylic poly. Recommendations appreciated.

[Jim Becker]

Why "Poly"?. Polyurethane isn't always the best choice for a finish and acrylics with polyurethane in them are not the same animal as oil based products made with polyurethane resins. And for an outside projects a non-film finish may be preferable because it's easier to maintain. What wood species did you use for your project as that will be helpful toward recommendations for finishing options...

[Ed Gibbons]

Eucalyptus wood. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks Jim.

[John TenEyck]

GF'S Exterior 450 or TC'S EM-6300 (?) should both meet your request. But the EM-6300 is much harder and would be the better choice IMO.

John

[Art Mann]

Do you have direct experience with either of these products? I have tried quite a few clear coatings for carved wood signs and none of them held up really well.

Edit: I just looked at the data sheet for EM 6300 and it doesn't mention exterior applications.

[John TenEyck]

Sorry, EM-9300 is more likely the correct product. Memory fails sometimes. Yes, I've used both products on exterior doors, but they are only 9 months old. So far, so good. My preference would be the TC product if it sprayed well, but it didn't for me and that's how I ended up with the GF Exterior 450. That product sprays great but doesn't get nearly as hard or look as good.

[Doug Hepler]

Ed

I recommend a marine grade spar varnish with an acrylic or phenolic resin, not polyurethane. McCloskey's Man-o-War and Epifanes are both excellent. Part of the longevity of an exterior varnish is the resin formulation ("long-oil" is preferred), part is the UV filters and number of coats, and part is the location of the piece (sun or shade). I have tried Minwax Helmsman spar varnish but it does not last very long in direct sun.

Doug

[John TenEyck]

One more comment to the OP. Recognize that any film finish will require regular maintenance. I like Epifanes, but 3 years between maintenance is the most you should expect if your bench will sit out in the weather year round, and even less if you are in FL or similar. Same for the products I recommended.

John

[Jack Clark]

CrabCoat–take a look.

https://thecrystalacstore.com/collections/clear-top-coats/products/crabcoat-exterior-marine-finish-clear-uv-topcoat

[John TenEyck]

Have you used it?

[Jack Clark]

Have you used it?

No, I have not used Crystalac Crab Coat. Simply don’t have a need for a finish formulated for exterior use at this time. However, I have been using several other Crystalac products recently, and I find them on par and perhaps even superior to other waterborne clears I have used in the past. So, using "guilt by association", CrabCoat is probably a very good product. Someone else will have to test it and (hopefully) report on it here. :)

I highly recommend taking a good look at their website, and maybe even ordering a small amount some of their products for testing. BTW, everything comes in easy to use, rust proof plastic containers. Gallon sizes come in easy pour plastic jugs.

https://thecrystalacstore.com/

[Jim Morgan]

I used CrabCoat for a project earlier this summer. I had made a porch swing 20+ years ago that was badly weathered. I partially disassembled it and planed and sanded the arms, back slats, and seat slats before spraying it (3 coats) with my HVLP. So far, so good, though it has only been a couple of months.

393125

[John TenEyck]

And it's not out in the weather either. Direct, constant exposure to the sun, rain, snow, bird poop, etc. is a lot different.

John