EnduroVar II - Ugh

[John TenEyck]

I've used gallons upon many gallons of EnduroVar. It had a very nice reddish tint, brushed and sprayed great, and was very durable. Fast forward. A few years ago, GF decided reformulating it would be a good idea. I don't know who it was a good idea for, but definitely not for the product. It's now clear/yellow. Much worse, all I get is bubbles when applying it by hand, be it with a foam or synthetic bristle brush, both acceptable methods per the application instructions.

Here's a comparative photo of the old and new.



Here's the old EnduroVar on maple:



And the new version, EnduroVar II:



I tried adding Extender to it. Not much better, definitely not acceptable. I haven't tried spraying it yet. But at almost $150 per gallon to my door this is a huge disappointment.

I looked on GF's website for contact info, hoping to find an email address or phone number. All I find is a fax number. Does anyone have a phone number for tech support, or at least a general number? Or an email address for customer service.

As you might be able to tell, I'm pretty disappointed. The company whose products I never had problems with and could once call to talk with tech support, is no longer the same company. Maybe that's the biggest disappointment of all.

John

[John TenEyck]

I added an inordinate amount of Extender to the EVar II. It made almost no difference in the number of bubbles. So then I started thinking about a true bubble breaker and found this one from Mohawk.





Does anyone have any experience with it?

John

[Kent A Bathurst]

John - you are travelling the same path as I, as described in my recent thread about Transition to Brushing WB. I failed. Badly. Not to the tune of a gallon, fortunately. I take no solace in your pain.

The Extender also failed for me. Be interested to see how the Mohawk product works, if you go that route.

[John TenEyck]

John - you are travelling the same path as I, as described in my recent thread about Transition to Brushing WB. I failed. Badly. Not to the tune of a gallon, fortunately. I take no solace in your pain.

The Extender also failed for me. Be interested to see how the Mohawk product works, if you go that route.

Thanks for sharing the pain, Kent. Misery loves company. I've never had any trouble with other WB's. Have you tried Minwax Oil Modified Poly? That stuff flows out beautifully with a cheap foam brush and gives a beautiful finish. Relatively cheap, too, only about $70/gallon. I highly recommend you try it. I guarantee success.

I'm not going to use the EnduroVar II on this project, too important to take a risk in something I don't have confidence in. But I'll get some Bubble Breaker and try it, though, in hopes I can use it for something, someday.

John

[Kent A Bathurst]

Have you tried Minwax Oil Modified Poly?

John

All over it.

[Rob Sack]

I know that General Finishes water based products are popular on this Forum. I have used a wide array of their products over the years and their solvent based products such as Arm R Seal and Outdoor Oil have performed well. I can't say the same for their water based finishes in my experience. I tried their water based white wash stain and almost ruined a large wall unit. The reports on this forum regarding their water based topcoats have not exactly been totally positive either. And at almost $150.00 a gallon? I only spray water based topcoats so I can't speak to a product's brushing performance. But I have breen using Centurion Wood Coatings Clear Acrylic Topcoat for years with consistently excellent results. I am currently spraying a new kitchen we built using this product and the cost was $53.00 and change per gallon with free delivery from my local supplier. The material sprays right out of the can, sprays like conventional lacquer, dries about as fast as conventional lacquer, and is as durable as pre-cat solvent based lacquer. The only difference seems to be that you have to scuff sand between coats since it won't burn in like solvent based lacquer. My rep says you can topcoat without scuff sanding if done within an hour or two, but I have yet to try this.

[John TenEyck]

GF's other WB topcoats spray very well for me, never a problem, dozens and dozens of gallons. As for complaints, I've seen plenty of complaints for several companies. $53 definitely is an attractive price, almost too good to believe for something that's durable unless you're getting pro pricing. Even then, it's very low cost. Have you tested it against common cleaners and grease? I see it listed at $82/gal on their website.

WB stains are a tough transition from OB, for sure. I'm not entirely happy with any of them. I have used several of GF's successfully, but it wasn't as easy.

John

[John TenEyck]

Kent, here's three coats of MW Oil Modified Poly on mahogany and maple, applied with a cheap foam brush. I scuff sanded with 325 grit between coats.