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oil vs varnish vs epoxy

7K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  chucklesR 
#1 ·
ok everyone, time to weigh in, which is your favorite method to finish teak products and why?
I've just finished cleaning and sanding my tiler, next up will be ??? oil, varnish or epoxy???
I know that with oil, I'll have to redo it often, with varnish it should last a good season maybe more, anyone use epoxy? what are the results???
which will give me a nice finish???
thanks
 
#3 · (Edited)
I like varnish :).
We use more durable 2 stage stuff on the interior of some boats, but on my sailboat I keep it simple.
One type of varnish(on everything). Saves creating the usual mess of tins that boats seem to accrue.

I use a Gloss Spar-Varnish by Cloverdale paint. It might not be the most premium brand of varnish, but it's available immediately all over the place in Canada, and is still of good quality. This way if I run out, I can be assured of getting the same product again. I thin with a tiny bit of naptha, and some mineral spirits usually. Naptha(also sold as Clova Thinner #7) and mineral spirits are commonly available.
For something outside in the weather that will eventually likely fail, something that lasts well, is durable, easy to keep up and relatively easy to replace strikes the best balance. For me that's good varnish.

EDIT: Since you're in Canada, try a Cloverdale paint, make sure you tell them it is for a boat, and you need spar varnish! These days due to VOC regulations they are almost selling it like behind the counter drugs at the pharmacy. It doesn't meet VOC regs for household use.
 
#6 ·
the best is an thin coat of epoxy (solvent thinned) as a primer and sealer - providing a stable surface for a few coats of traditional spar varnish. Win-Win the epoxy stabilizes the surface, the varnish provides color gloss and uv protection.

A two part lpu with uv blockers (there are a few of these around) can optionally go over the varnish - protecting the organic varnish

Paul Oman - MS. MBA
A.K.A. "Professor E. Poxy"
Internet Epoxy Confederation (IEC) Homepage
epoxies since 1994
Member: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers) -- SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings
 
#8 ·
Whatever you do, DO NOT USE "OIL", probably the worst thing you can do for exterior teak... Don't take my word for it, take Rebecca Wittmann's, varnish is the way to go for trim...

"Taking care of teak and other marine links."

I've used West epoxy to build up a level finish for the minimal bits of brightwork I have - tiller, handrails, and dorades... If you don't use a sanding sealer first, epoxy can really darken the hue of teak... Several coats of epoxy to build up to a smooth surface, then several coats of varnish with a UV inhibitor ( I've used Epifanes, with good results) The epoxy undercoat really helps prevent lifting of the varnish, seems to me, and I've yet to have any real "issues" using this method...



Of course, it also helps that all of my brightwork lives under covers about 99% of the time :)

 
#9 ·
Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer

I've used, and really like, smith's penetrating epoxy, coat till it won't absorb any more, then lay 5-7 coats of a good exterior varnish.
The smiths is a two part, looks like water, really soaks the wood well. Last time i used it, I could only get in in gallon drums, but ibelieve you can buy small batches now. I liked to mix up a batch in a glass mason jar. When you are coating a small area, you can save unused epoxy. I put unused portion ( tightly covered) in freezer as soon as I'm done coating. I let the wood cure overnight. In the morning, allow cold epoxy to come up to temp with lid off before using again. I'm in Texas, so I think it was about 20 minutes. I never used same epoxy for more than one overnight, so don't know how long you can get away with that technique.

Nice thing about the penetrating epoxy is that it will strengthen your tiller, I don't think I'd bother with epoxy unless it was a piece that needed to be durable, or it was showing signs of rot. In other words, I wouldn't bother epoxying healthy eyebrows.

Hope that helps.
 
#12 ·
Sun and water are brutal on brightwork, of any kind. You might want to ask yourself, which can I repair most readily or will I just keep it from being exposed?

Varnish is the most repairable, IMO. Still, it takes a ton of time to apply. Its the 24 hrs between coats that is a time killer.

I like Bristol Finish as a substitute. You can recoat within an hour and do the whole job in one day. Looks closest to real varnish too. Still, harder to repair, so you want to top coat each year and stay ahead of any blisters.
 
#13 ·
After several years and trying various products, I have come to the conclusion that Cetol is the best compromise in terms of looks/protection/maintenance. It doesn't look as good as varnish (nothing does IMHO), but its MUCH easier to apply; its almost as easy to apply as oil. As for durability, it won't last as long as varnish, but it does last longer than oil.
 
#14 ·
A boat friend of mine has been using Teak Guard, I believe an Aussie product. Seems to last a long time and looks like a teak finish (well sort of).
Has any one out there in boat land used this product successfully?

the foameister (I drink margies not beer)
Tartan 3800
 
#16 ·
A simple sock type cover for the 99 percent of the time the tiller is unused will keep the finish perfect for many many years.
Epoxy, then varnish, sand smooth through the grits and apply as many layers as you can stand.
 
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