10 year varnish

[VirtualVagabond]

I'm trying to locate a thread I read a while back regarding a process for making outside varnish last longer than the usual 12-24 months.
The comment was that by using a MAS product together with the varnish and with good preparation, the result would be good for around 10 years.
It sounded incredible to me at the time, but I'd like to re-read it, if I can find it.
Anyone remember it?
Vic

[Omatako]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

the result would be good for around 10 years.

That would indeed be incredible.

I reckon the thread was pulled before the litigation started

[dillybar]

West Marine stocks it between the Unicorn pelts and the female orgasms

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

I'm trying to locate a thread I read a while back regarding a process for making outside varnish last longer than the usual 12-24 months.
The comment was that by using a MAS product together with the varnish and with good preparation, the result would be good for around 10 years.
It sounded incredible to me at the time, but I'd like to re-read it, if I can find it.
Anyone remember it?
Vic

If you are talking about sealing up some wood other than teak with epoxy, and protecting the epoxy from uv damage with varnish or paint, then yes this is one approach. However, if the varnish is exposed to elements, it won't last much if any longer than it would without the epoxy undercoat.

But if you are talking about using epoxy on exterior teak trim, I would recommend against this method. First, the primary reason to treat any wood with epoxy is to barrier coat it from moisture penetration. Teak is already virtually rot-proof, so it derives no benefit from the epoxy.

Second, as mentioned above, if the varnish is exposed to elements, it won't last much longer than it would without the epoxy undercoat. So you will need to protect that epoxy undercoat with a fairly routine varnish maintenance schedule. You might eek a little more life from the varnish because it adheres very well to epoxy, but the fact remains that the epoxy UNDERcoat offers no protection to the varnish OVERcoats. It is the varnish that is protecting the epoxy.

Finally, if you fail to keep up with the varnish maintenance, the epoxy undercoat will suffer uv degradation. It will turn cloudy and yellow, and will look awful. Then you will be forced to strip the epoxy undercoat, which is much more difficult than stripping varnish.

I wouldn't go there.

[deniseO30]

the way I understand it.. Teak oils, any kind of oil finishes. the oils will carbonize from uv, which is why teak always turns black under varnish.. the old mariner's way of leaving it turn silver is best but most of us want "pretty" teak. 10 yrs? hmmmm

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by dillybar

West Marine stocks it between the Unicorn pelts and the female orgasms

Now that's funny. +1 dilly.

[CharlieCobra]

There's no magic bullet for varnish longevity. For wood other than Teak, epoxy as an undercoat will protect the wood from nicks and bruises better than straight varnish but the top coats of varnish will still degrade. Epoxy will still turn yellow or opaque if exposed to UV. I would use epoxy under a good Alkyd varnish because Alkyd varnishes erode rather than crack and peel. I would use 6-8 coats of varnish over the epoxy. A yearly refresher coat should get you 8=10 years of service before you have to remove it all. For teak use tung oil if ya don't want that silver color.

[mdbee]

Never needed to purchase either of those.

Originally Posted by dillybar

West Marine stocks it between the Unicorn pelts and the female orgasms

[RichH]

I'm a reformed 'varnish-aholic'.
Yes you can totally encapsulate your bright work with epoxy .... but it must be 100% encapsulated. You must unscrew it and encapsulate it 'off' the boat). If you dont 100% encapsulate water will migrate through the wood, accumulate 'under the epoxy surface'. That plus the UV destruction of the surface wood cells will cause the epoxy to degrade and lose its adhesion in about 5 years; epoxy doesnt 'do well' vs. UV. Then you cover the work with about 5-6 coats of oil based varnish and let cure for about 4 weeks. Then apply 4-5 coats of urethane varnish (with UV inhibiter) let cure another 2-3 weeks then flatsand and apply clear Interlux Perfection over top of that. .......... Followed by using a chisel and dynamite to remove it yet all again when the coating 'system' fails in about 5 years. If you have any scarfs, they will begin to bleed 'black' sooner than that.

Better yet, forget varnish entirely and consider one of the modern catalyzed coatings such as "Honey Teak" (Signature Finish and Honey Teak Products - Home) or Bristol Finish.
My present Honey Teak job is now going into its 10th season with only minor repairs and a yearly 'clear slop coat'. This stuff is VERY expensive but when you amortize it over its life span it comes out the cheapest in $ and labor.
These are 2-part acrylic-urethane copolymers that can be applied wet-on-wet, can be flat sanded and powerbuffed to beyond the brilliance of the finest 'varnish job'. They dont hide the wood grain like 'cetol' and 'cetol-lite', or cetol 'butt ughly' etc. and if you hand rub after curing the wood cells will develop a 'glowing irridescent patina' - enough to make a Hinckly blush with envy. They must be applied THICK so that there is sufficient UV blocker thickness. Best applied in cool weather so they 'flow-out'. They both have a high learning curve. With Honey Teak, if you tell the supplier exactly how much TEAK (square feet) you want to coat, he will send you 'splits' so you dont have to buy full containers.

[VirtualVagabond]

Thanks everyone. Very informative, particularly the Honey Teak option.

I'm sitting here with my toes luxutiating in the silky caresses of my Unicorn skin floor rug, sound of heavy breathing in the background....

BUT, I found the thread I referred to originally. It was october 2007, Moonfish was commenting on the high maintenance of a Vagabond 47 and referred to making a video of a test section on Bod Bitchin's Lost Soul (Atts and Lats).
I checked MAS epoxies website and it's all there. The owner of MAS claims to have used a couple of coats of his epoxy applied as per the demo, followed with automotive clear laquer and claims up to 10 years. His epoxy is uniquely suited because it doesn't blush, so he claims.

I would appreciate any more comments, even from the Unicorn deniers...