Outdoor topcoat for a painted table.

[Prashun Patel]

I have a neighbor who wanted to repaint his patio table. As he sanded it, he decided he liked the partially stripped look. Is there a top coat I can counsel him to put on top to give it protection for a couple seasons.

[John TenEyck]

I have a neighbor who wanted to repaint his patio table. As he sanded it, he decided he liked the partially stripped look. Is there a top coat I can counsel him to put on top to give it protection for a couple seasons.

SW's A-100 Deep Base (I think that's the one) w/o any pigment added will dry clear and will last a good while. It has a good UV package in it to resist degradation. They will look at you like you have two heads when you tell them you just want to buy the base, without any color added.

John

[Edwin Santos]

Offering $.02 here.
I live in the desert southwest where the sun exposure is as brutal as it gets. I have an ornamental wooden gate that is my maintenance problem child. Having been a fan of Waterlox, I tried brushed on Waterlox Marine gloss. It would usually last one season.
Then one year I switched things up and tried Epifanes gloss, which turned out to be considerably better. I can easily get two seasons out of it, and sometimes I can push it to three. Remember, this is under very harsh conditions. The manufacturer told me the reflectivity of the gloss is a big part of the UV protection.

I don't know if the ambering of a marine varnish will conflict with the look your neighbor is after, but if not, my vote is for Epifanes. Let me add, these marine varnishes were designed to be used over paint, so the partially stripped paint should not be an issue.