Is there any finish that can be...

[Jonathon Spafford]

... permenantly immersed in water without worries of the wood getting messed up? I didn't know that there would be, but I had a design that I wanted to try!

[Mike Vickery]

I believe conversion varnish can but it is a strickly pro product.

You might want to check out some boat builder forums for what they use.

[Curt Fuller]

Not really sure what you mean by "permanently immersed in water" but I don't think wood needs any finish if it will really be permanently immersed. In fact, wood that sinks to the bottom of lakes is preserved for centuries. I think what really gets to wood is the repeated cycle of wet then dry then wet then dry....so on. If you see old piers, the part under water is usually intact while the part from water level up crumbles and rots away with time.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Most bituminous coatings will.
Some are even safe for potable water immersion.

Coal tar epoxy will also work.

The drawback is that both are only available in black.

For a "clear", cod liver oil will give you many years of protection.
(FWIW - Cod liver oil is the "secret ingredient" in Rustoleum)

Edit to add:
I should mention that this is for fresh water.
Salt water much harsher.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

... permenantly immersed in water without worries of the wood getting messed up? I didn't know that there would be, but I had a design that I wanted to try!

Yah, EpoxySystems has coating for exactly that.
They will ship 'em to ya. Surf on over to their web site and call their teck guys. They are really helpful.

[TYLER WOOD]

Wouldn't most any epoxy work? Or am I wrong. I am interrested in this as well, as I am wanting to make a useable vase to actuallu hold fresh flowers. So please do chime in.

[John Schreiber]

Most epoxies will do the trick, but they break down under UV light. They need to be covered with another finish, usually varnish.

Good marine paints will do the job too, but of course that's not a clear finish.

[Jonathon Spafford]

Hey, thanks all for the replies! I'll see if it works... I had an idea that I wanted to try and will post pictures if it works!

[Rob Luter]

About 15 years ago I remodeled a bathroom, installing tongue & groove wainscoting on the lower half of the wall. It looked so good I did the entire tub/shower enclosure with the same material. We caulked every joint with clear seam sealer and finished the wood with marine grade spar varnish. It was the same finish that was used on ChrisCraft Mahogany boats. The first coats were thinned somewhat to promote absorbsion by the wood, after that it was straight from the can. I think we went with about 6 coats. It held up great against a minimum of three showers a day with no staining or deterioration of the finish for the remaining couple of years we owned the house. I'm sure there are some poly finishes that would work just as well now. This wasn't full immersion, but it was plenty wet most of the time.