Epifanes Clear Varnish

If you are new to exterior varnishing follow the instructions. When they say at least eight coats, they mean it. If you think you know better then don't waste your money on this product, just go and buy cheap stuff and slap on a coat or two. A year later when you have learned your lesson, buy this stuff and do as they say. I gave this product four stars in 2016 with the intention of going back and changing it depending on how long it lasted. Well I'd give it five now. It lasted five years (I should have sanded and top coated each year as instructed and I would not have had to go down to wood again). It looks great, protects the wood very well, and lasts.

08/19/2015: Epifanes Clear Varnish (1000 ml (about a quart)) Ambient temperature for all dates = 65-75 degrees F. Humidity = approx 80-85%. August 15: First coat, 1:1 Epifanes high gloss and Klean Strip odorless mineral spirits (Klean Strip is $33.63/gal plus $27.50 shipping at Amazon or $14.63/gal and free in store pickup at Home Depot). Varnish coat was applied with a foam brush over finely sanded and stained mahogany on a 1962 Chris Craft wooden yacht. The mahogany was in poor condition due to exposure to several windy and rainy winters. Dry to the touch in 4-6 hours but still a soft/fragile feel (as with all subsequent coats. (Just about right for the next coat)). The first coat already showed signs of a superior gloss but the wood grain still had a feel that it should be filled with additional coats of varnish. August 16: Second coat, no sanding, 1:1 applied with a foam brush. August 17: Third coat no sanding, 1:1 applied with a foam brush. Now building a beautiful gloss. August 18: Fourth coat still no sanding, 2 parts Epifanes and 1 part mineral spirits (2:1) applied with high quality bristle brush. Wood grain now filling nicely and a high gloss is obvious. August 19: Light sanding with 320 grit wet/dry (wet) paper, wiped clean with damp cloth, wind dried. Fifth coat 2:1 applied with a high quality bristle brush. Gloss is now deep and far superior to any product I've used to date (I've used many over the past 30+ years). I will let these coats cure for 5 to 7 days, sand with 320 or 400 grit wet paper and apply coats six and seven. I will update this review at that time. Epifanes lives up to the many stellar reviews it gets and looks like many many hours of hard work went into this old wood (well, it did but it looks like many more than what was actual). This varnish spreads on easily and flows nicely to eliminate most if not all brush marks. I still have at least 3/4 of the first quart and I ordered a second can so there will be no interruption in the work. The only downside thus far is; I live with a Malamute Husky and he is blowing fur right now so keeping his hair off the wet varnish is a challenge. I can't blame him or Epifanes for that so I just live with it and have a hair picking session each evening. Good opportunity to drink a beer and admire the results of this great spar varnish Now if only it is as durable as folks claim,,, If the beer is nice and cold, I just may apply an eighth coat (or ninth). More later!,,,,, It's now later and as promised, here's more: 8/25/15: The first coats cured very well and I applied an undiluted coat of Epifanes. The overall result is a bit disappointing, not because of any real flaw with the varnish but undiluted it simply gels and leaves a wavy feel as well as visible texture on the surface. The varnish itself is quite thick. More like a high viscosity motor oil treatment than conventional varnish. I suspected this may be the result so I only varnished a small area. Now when this coat cures, I'll sand it smooth and re-coat with a mixture of 2 parts Epifanes and 1 part mineral spirits. 08/26/2015: I applied a mixture of 2 parts Epifanes and 1 part mineral spirits. The result is back to outstanding so I will not use this product undiluted in the future. The gloss really is great and tough. Remember that Malamute Husky? Well. he's still blowing fur. He jumped on the varnished mahogany when the coat was only 24-28 hours old. To my amazement, there were no scratch marks at all. When this fully cures, we will both be happy little boatsters!! I love this stuff!!! BUT, I strongly recommend that you use a 2:1 dilution for final coats. The application is much easier and the resulting gloss will make you proud! AND, SINCE THIS IS A RATHER PRICEY ITEM, A COUPLE HINTS TO HELP SAVE A FEW BUX: 1. If you don't use it all within a week or so, as you use this up, pour the contents into a smaller can. This will reduce the air space and help keep the remaining varnish from turning to gel. 2. If it does start to gel, thin it with mineral spirits and use one of those Mr. Coffee type fine mesh strainers and pour the varnish through it. This will filter out a large majority of the clumps and help insure a nice smooth finish when you go to use it again. I shouldn't have to say this but in case the hot coffee lady from McDonald's is reading,,, if you filter the varnish through the coffee filter, don't use that filter for making coffee. Thank you. AU //(~_~)\\

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Great marine finish

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