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Perfection Plus

9K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  Minnewaska 
#1 ·
Anyone used the stuff? I have Bristol Finish on my cockpit table and need to build it back up. I don't want to have to strip it to zero and think this will bond on top. The current finish is in good shape, I just need to topcoat and polish. Although, I would probably build this several coats, so that the polishing didn't get down to the Bristol. Thoughts?

Perfection Plus Yacht Varnish | Interlux
 
#2 ·
While no one seemed to be familiar with this product, I'll give an update.

First, I sanded down the Bristol Finish to near nothing. I left the color, but zero gloss, as the Perfections Plus is simply clear. The prepared teak just appeared like a satin stain.

Then I applied the first coat of PP, thinned about 10% with brush thinner. It seemed to separate like a golf ball surface. Sort of like it was being rejected by the teak. However, it is a two part varnish and specifically says it is compatible over top of other two part varnishes, which is what Bristol Finish is.

I decided to see whether additional coats would smooth out the surface. I did not thin the second coat, thinking it may fill the holes. Mistake. While it says it can be applied without thinner, I ended up with millions of tiny air bubbles.

Had to sand it all off.

I thought, however, with a good compatible base now, the PP would adhere without the golf ball surfacing. Nope. Exact same result. I decided to press forward and see if more coats would fill and they are slowly reducing these pock marks. I have three coats on now and I'm afraid it is going to take a dozen to smooth it out.

My plan was also to wet sand the final coat and buff. Now I've read somewhere that PP may not take well to buffing.

This is turning into a fiasco. I may be stripping it all down again. (btw, there is no know chemical stripper that will attack this finish. It must be sanded)

I really liked Bristol Finish and hope someone starts making it again!!!! While they both give off some serious VOCs, the PP is practically chemical warfare. Says it is the hardest finish on the planet and I believe it. Could be because it kills anyone within 5 feet of it.
 
#3 ·
I'm even gladder my cockpit table is white Starboard. The seats and floor are teak, and while I haven't entirely embraced the "teak is grey, brass is green" school of boat maintenance, I have learned to love bare wood underfoot, not to mention wishing I could recover all those hours previously spent scraping, sanding, and coating.

I can see that a table needs some surface protection; all I can think of is that Star Trek movie where Scotty whips up the formulae for Transparent Aluminum. Now where's that DVD...?
 
#5 ·
Felt compelled to clear the name of Perfection Plus. As I said above, it wasn't coming out very well.

Of all coincidences, I was emailing her prior owner and mentioned the work on the table. He drops a bomb that I wasn't asking, nor expecting. While everything else was Bristol Finish, he had done the cockpit table in real varnish!!!!!!

Holy smokes. No wonder it was a disaster. The solvents in the two part PP just dissolve the thin layer of varnish I thought I was leaving as a base. Of all ironies, I had actually top coated the varnish with Bristol Finish along the way and that worked fine. Still wish they made the stuff.

Well, back to the beginning. I can't believe it. All to be sanded back to bare and done from scratch. I really can't stand the thought of another couple of weeks of those two part potting vapors, so I'm doing what I should have done originally. Epifanes clear varnish.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the follow-up, Minnie.. One of the things I don't really like about some of these new finishes is their 'clarity'.. I like/want the golden hues of a good varnish, and these 'clear' finishes make redoing a damaged area difficult if you've lost the original 'colour' finish..
 
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#7 ·
I ran into a similar problem re-finishing a table with one part poly urethane varnish. The only thing I could think of was that someone along the line used a silicone based polish on it. Finally had to take it all the way down to bare wood and scrub with acetone, just about went through the veneer. It finally finished just fine.

Paul T
 
#8 ·
I will tell you what, I only put on 3 or 4 coats of the Perfection Plus and I'm trying to get down to bare wood. It is incredibly hard to get off. If one could get it to come out right, it would be good for nuclear protection.

It did get me thinking. If you ever needed to repair it, the removal would be (is) tortuous. I'm glad to be returning to good old fashioned varnish.
 
#10 ·
Finally done. After sanding to dull finish and applying Bristol Finish only find they aren't making it any more. To re-sanding and applying Perfection Plus, only to learn that the original owner actually used real varnish on the table, while they used Bristol Finish on everything else. To stripping it fully down to bare wood and applying 10 coats of clear Epifanes varnish.

We didn't really photo document, but here are some shots:

This was the third full strip in progress:

View attachment 13949

Finally stripped to bare wood. That was a lot of work.

Product Wood Furniture Hardwood Table


After 6 coats of clear varnish

Wood Table Varnish Wood stain Hardwood


After 8 coats, you can see the picture hanging on the wall in the reflection

Table Furniture Wood Wood stain Plywood


After 10 coats, you could see yourself in it. Well, you might not all recognize me on the street. :)

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Varnish Wood flooring


Finished and reinstalled !!

Vehicle Water transportation Varnish Boat Wood
 
#12 ·
Finally done. After sanding to dull finish and applying Bristol Finish only find they aren't making it any more. To re-sanding and applying Perfection Plus, only to learn that the original owner actually used real varnish on the table, while they used Bristol Finish on everything else. To stripping it fully down to bare wood and applying 10 coats of clear Epifanes varnish.

We didn't really photo document, but here are some shots:

This was the third full strip in progress:

View attachment 13949

Finally stripped to bare wood. That was a lot of work.

View attachment 13950

After 6 coats of clear varnish

View attachment 13951

After 8 coats, you can see the picture hanging on the wall in the reflection

View attachment 13952

After 10 coats, you could see yourself in it. Well, you might not all recognize me on the street. :)

View attachment 13953

Finished and reinstalled !!

View attachment 13954
Looks great. I have used Epiphanies for the same application and love its consistency as well as gloss.

Dave
 
#15 ·
Hi. Thank you for all the details and photos. How much Perfection Plus did you use for your project? Did you varnish underneath as well?

Thanks
I think you missed some of the thread. I started with Perfection Plus, but ended up stripping it off entirely and starting over with Epifanes Clear Varnish. While I had a snafu in not knowing the prior owner had real one part varnish as a base, I have to say that the fumes put off by the PP are absolutely intolerable. I mean so toxic that it wouldn't air out of the room for weeks. Nasty, nasty stuff.
 
#18 ·
By the way, stripping the Perfection Plus was incredibly difficult. Its great advantage is that it is hard as nails. It would take a lot more to damage than varnish. But it occurred to me while I was scraping and grinding it off (no known solvent will remove it), that it would have been a nightmare to touch up or reapply later. I only got to three coats, IIRC.
 
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