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Best Exterior Varnish?


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I have a trad stern narrowboat.  All the engine boards and flooring is varnished, but is starting to look tired.  I intend to sand down back to bare wood and re varnish.  The question is 'which varnish?'  

The varnish has to withstand footfall and the elements as with rear doors & hatch open it is subject to sun and rain.  I know I want gloss.  Midland Chandlers seems to exclusively sell International.  I have seen others recommend Ronseal, Rustins and Le Tonikois.  I don't mind paying extra to get a good product that will last - but if I am paying extra I would like the confidence that I have made an informed choice.

Grateful for peoples thoughts and recommendation.  Thanks

 

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1 hour ago, BEngo said:

Epifanes. As good as Le T. Lots of coats though, as with any exterior varnish.

 

N

several grades - I suggest you select the ultra-violet resistant one.

 

my current boat has a fair bit of varnished mahogany (or the modern alternatives) and I put on 2 or 3 coats of clear epoxy resin (laminating grade with no fillers or additives), well sanded down, before varnishing.  That way the UV resistant  Epifanes protects the epoxy and the epoxy, of course, never flakes off or discolours. Re-varnishing doesn't require going back to bare (stained/faded?) wood.

Edited by Murflynn
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19 hours ago, Murflynn said:

several grades - I suggest you select the ultra-violet resistant one.

 

my current boat has a fair bit of varnished mahogany (or the modern alternatives) and I put on 2 or 3 coats of clear epoxy resin (laminating grade with no fillers or additives), well sanded down, before varnishing.  That way the UV resistant  Epifanes protects the epoxy and the epoxy, of course, never flakes off or discolours. Re-varnishing doesn't require going back to bare (stained/faded?) wood.

I wondered about that . I built a canoe from thin ply and then covered it with cheap glass tissue using cheap resin, it is still in very good condition, shiny and not cracked or crazed after 15 years plus.

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I use International Schooner Gold on exterior work. Excellent uv protection. A little bit of extra cost is often worthwhile.  Craftmaster is another good choice.

I think the trick with all exterior varnished woodwork is to treat it annually before the cold weather and damp sets in. A warm few days in September is the time I try to get going. Any damp in tiny cracks or knocks can cause the unsightly marks starting off.  

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I used D1 and D2 on a teak deck.   It needs a lot of upkeep, but being an oil and not a varnish it doesn't flake or discolour unless you forget the upkeep.  I would say OK for a working surface like a deck, but not much good for brightwork.

 

a shipwright told me - apply D1 once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, then once a month for years; forget about D2.

 

Edited by Murflynn
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By coincidence we have today started the task of replacing the back deck timber on Fulbourne which has been in place now for 30 years.

We are doing this because the cants and the ends of the planks under the cants had rotted beyond practical repair but the areas of exposed planks which had been regularly treated with D1/D2 were in remarkably good condition.

When we originally treated them we were told to, and did, coat the planks with D1continuously until the wood would not take any more. This left a Matt finish, to achieve a Gloss finish we put on a coat of D2. Future maintenance just required recoating with D2.

 

   

 

IMG_8517.JPG

Edited by Tim Lewis
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32 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

By coincidence we have today started the task of replacing the back deck timber on Fulbourne which has been in place now for 30 years.

We are doing this because the cants and the ends of the planks under the cants had rotted beyond practice repair but the areas of exposed planks which had been regularly treated with D1/D2 were in remarkably good condition.

When we originally treated them we were told to, and did, coat the planks with D1continuously until the wood would not take any more. This left a Matt finish, to achieve a Matt finish we put on a coat of D2. Future maintenance just required recoating with D2.

 

   

 

IMG_8517.JPG

Those Sainsburys 5p carrier bags are horrid aren't they. The handles are in the wrong place and too small.

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