How To Varnish Wood Quickly | Fast Epoxy Clear Coating Method
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
- In this video we take a look at a method for quickly building a full gloss, clear coat epoxy and varnish system on a wood surface in just three days. We start out by epoxy coating the wood with West System 105 resin and 207 clear hardener. Then we build up a volume on the surface using Epifanes PP. Once the surface is sanded back to be perfectly flat we build the final high gloss, scratch resistant, UV protection topcoat layers using Epifanes Polyurethane clear coat.
Topcoat application in this video is done by spray but I explain how it can also be done with brush and roller technique following a very similar practice. Using these modern materials we learn how to create a full gloss finish on any wood surface with minimal time and preparation, doing the entire process over the course of just 3 days.
Is this process suitable for YOUR application??? Take a look at this video: • Should I Epoxy Coat Wo... to see if an epoxy coating system will work for your application.
#epoxy #varnish #spraying
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:31 Epoxy base layer
5:07 Build up coats
9:44 Final topcoats
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excellent tutorial ,well done, thank you.
Absolut perfect, Dan! Thank you for this interesting video and let us know yourr experience and knowledge.
Excellent results! Really enjoy watching artists apply their trade, especially in non-traditional ways. Thanks for the video
Gorgeous.
Wow. That sums it up.
Many thanks for that.
Very helpful.
Mark K
nice work, thanks!
excellent work
Love that gorgeous wood:)
Awesome video Great work !
Thank you! Cheers!
I did something much like this back in 2008 for the cap rails on my Hans Christian 38T. West epoxy first, a good sand down , followed by two coats of traditional spar varnish. Still in pretty good shape after three years when I sold the boat.
Good the hear that held up with only two coats of varnish on it 💪
Great job, I’ve sprayed for years !
I'm doing it more and more these days, you just can't beat the speed of application.
Again a very good video. By the way, I can highly recommend the Varnishing Course!
Unreal 👍🏻
Very good.
Hi Dan, A very good video on varnishing and very timely as I am about to start building a model RC controlled model of a Venice water taxi. If you have been to to Venice (google if not) you will know what I mean. The real thing is built using a lot of mahogany and is highly varnished. They are a beautiful craft so as I said this film clip is very timely. Cheers and I enjoy watching your film clips. Ian New Zealand
I've never been a fan of applying epoxy as a surface coating or using catalyzed finishes but I can’t argue with your results and the time it took you to get them Dan. Stunning work as usual.
I’m with you there, a full traditional varnish system is unbeatable really but soo slow that it’s just not practical at times. I reckon this would have taken me 4-6 weeks to finish with traditional single part varnish 😕
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding It's the way epoxy can be unpredictable in its flow out compared to varnish that holds me back from using it this way, especially on vertical surfaces. I didn't notice which type of roller sleeve you were using there. Was is a low pile fibre or foam?
I think the biggest mistake I made with this was treating it like a varnish, epoxy needs quite a different approach for application I find. I tried two different rollers on this, a fibre one first and then a foam. I got better results with the foam roller as the fibre one induced more micro-bubbles and needed more tipping.
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding have you also warmed your resin to reduce viscosity?
Love the comments! love to learn from the best!!
Most carpenters like myself lack the patience to even come close to putting any more than two coats of anything on a pice of wood with out sanding in between . I’m working somewhere raising money to hire some one to do it right your finish is fantastic.
Amazing video, just wanted to say thanks for making this. Last year’s epoxy and one part varnish burned off over the winter, so much work lost and wasn’t sure what to do next.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Single part varnish isn’t really recommended over epoxy so if you come to re doing it I’d recommend two part like I used here 👍
Ive used a very similar finish on a cedar canoe i built, the middle pp layer is to pu not crackle right?
Superbe résultat. Et le bateau terminé, il est oû ? 😉👍
Very thorough and detailed tutorial, many thanks for taking the time and effort to share this. I am considering using West 207 to create a carbon fibre cosmetic overlay for the helm instrument panel on my boat. I'm have some experience using West System epoxy in glass lay ups ( both fast and slow hardeners) but no experience using carbon fibre or 207. I would of course have a practice run or two on a mock up first. Do you think the 207 clear epoxy will have sufficient UV resilience on it's own inside a wheelhouse or will I need additional UV protection over the epoxy laminate? Still debating whether the idea is worth the bother and risk or if I should lower my expectations a bit and go for an off the shelf melamine type laminate. I'm up for a creative challenge, it's part of the fun, but I'm also mindful of my limited skill level (let's just say that the Gougeon brothers don't have my number on speed dial).
You probably will want some additional UV protection over the top. Despite it being in a wheelhouse I’d say it will still have a fair amount of UV exposure potentially.
Very nice my boy😅
Hi Dan...very interesting video and great techniques. Beautiful end result! Could I ask how long does the epoxy take to go off...given that you are brushing the first (and subsequent coats)? Thanks
This is largely dependent on temperature, application and film thickness doesn't have much of an effect on things. West System provide guidance on cure times based on temperature, for an example the solid cure time of this product is 10-15 hours at 72 degrees F or 22 degrees C. Don't forget to consider though temperatures throughout that entire time, if temp drops to 10 degrees through the night then you need to factor in some extra time for that. When it comes to sanding that is a great guide, you want a hard white dust, if you are getting clogging in the paper then it is likely it isn't fully cured yet and may need some more time.
use a torch to run over the wet, epoxy surface to pop the bubbles. the heat lowers the surface viscosity allowing the bubbles to surface.
I prefer a heat gun. The tip of a torch is so hot you can easily scorch the epoxy. Better still is to put the epoxy in a simple vacuum chamber and de-gass it. As it de-gasse it looks like it is boiling. Use a tall container to keep it in the cup. Do a "pull vac and release a few times" and ready to use
Anyone tried the water-based lacquers? looking at the crystal clear by Polyvine and want to do a high build finish on an oriental piece of furniture that's also gold leafed in certain areas. I have brushed and rolled the crystal clear on some small drawers and it gave a very nice flat coat. Polyvine advised I could spray finish for better coverage and if required for the application I could reduce the viscosity by 10% which would depend on the actual spray nozzle I would use. It's already fairly thin, so 0.5mm to 1.0mm as used with other lacquer applications! Just wondering if others have ventured into the water-based varnishes and clear coats.
HI Dan, the finish looks very nice, I was wondering if you considered automotive top coat clear. they are easier to apply and are a 2 part resin and hardener with excellent leveling.
Rich
Hi Rich, yes certainly, automotive clear coats could also be used, they probably aren’t too dissimilar. The only thing I would think to consider is that they might be harder and slightly less flexible so may not be quite soo suitable for use on wood.
Great video and good looking finish! Is there any reason to not use a heat gun/hair dryer to expedite the removal of air bubbles trapped in the resin and wood? When doing epoxy counter tops it is a mandatory step.
I have never got on well with heating to remove bubbles. I find it increases the rate of off gassing, particularly with plywood and you just end up in a cycle of bursting but then creating more bubbles. That being said I have not tried it using a very high temperature yet which I think may work better. I will try that the next time I do the process.
Amazing finnish👏, can you inform me about maintenance, when would the time for a new coat be necessary, before the uv filter burns out 👀
This is a little dependent on the environment that the part will live in and its expected levels of UV exposure. It is something that I talk about in this video: ruclips.net/video/7rhvc5-cltg/видео.html
Great video, I really enjoyed watching it. I’m looking to do something similar on a DIY project and just wandered how much Epoxy and Hardener you’d need for 10m2?
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m not sure on volume but the West System technical guys would be able to help you with that one.
Looks great! Why i dont have any wood on my boat.
Been there done that. Looks great on the splash page, but doesn’t last more than a couple years, then it’s a mess to refactor. I like to do penetrating epoxy first, but then you gotta go with varnish-oils like Olje or sonething.
Hi Dan, does Epifanes have a good uv protectant in it? I assume it does. Really wondering the longevity of it. Do you think the same process would be needed to achieve that longevity? Does it come in different sheens? I'm a residential builder in the coastal northeast and always think marine grade products when building. Great vid!!! Thanks!!!
Yes it’s pretty good and the system I’ve used here works for the application. This boat does live indoors though and is generally used on weekends throughout the summer so in reality what I’ve applied here is the necessary minimum. If you were doing this process for something that was going to live outside with great longevity then you’d want a higher level of UV protection. That could simply be achieved by applying more of the final gloss topcoats. Even up to around 10 I’d say. Epifanes do different sheens in their single part topcoats but I’m not sure about the two part. You can use the single part products to finish off though. Application will of course be a bit slower then.
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding Thank you so much for your time and advice. Totally makes sense with the extra coats. There's a couple huge marine supply places near by in which I can investigate further. I'm so glad I saw your method. I'll try it in the future for sure. Thanks again!
A potential difficulty with epoxy coatings on horizontal deck surfaces is cracking or crazing in the epoxy layer. This is almost always due to the wood surface cracking, checking, etc., or seam separation which can be driven by large temperature changes in the sun. If a crack makes it's way through the epoxy layer, fresh water can/will be drawn in by capillary action and wet the wood underneath the epoxy. Drying becomes very difficult and fungi causing rot will benefit. If moderate to high maintenance is required, the epoxy layer is more labor intensive to remove than varnish layers. But everything is a trade.
Looks superb, I'd have reservations about yellowing from UV but that's not the point here, this boat is kept indoors.
What inlay wood have you used to contrast the hardwood? is it Ash? It looks very white to be Ash so I think you've used. Something else?
The inlay wood is Maple, I had some that was very white with nice fine grain so it suited it well 👌
Did you try some kind of flame on epoxy to get rid of the bubbles?
I have tried this and I find it gets you into a bit of a downward spiral; heat reduces the viscosity of the epoxy, increases saturation of the wood and helps the release of air which is great, however at the same time, the increased saturation and warming of the wood increases off gassing so you get even more bubbles starting to release. Doing this on coats 2 and 3 would probably give better results as the first coat will have sealed the wood by then. I need to experiment with it a little more to find the best combination which I'll probably do on the next project or as I film footage for the course.
After the epoxy cured and before sanding, did you wash the surface to remove the amine blush that forms when the epoxy cures? Or just use plenty of sand paper?
Yes, using scotch bright and soapy water. Although the 207 coating epoxy is a non blushing formula it’s still a good idea to wash it first.
Hi dan what grit sand paper did u sand to on the epoxy befor u sprayed the pp
150g, not much finer than that, you want something fairly coarse for a good key 👍
Hi Dan, I've just been through and tried to use these products to coat a table I'm working on, using the spray method as you are. I'm having issues when it comes to the second coat it seems to come through with little bubbles once it is dry. goes on nice and glossy but as it dries they form and I have to sand it right back. Any ides on what could be the cause?
Is that on the second coat of Epifanes PP? If so that’s likely to be solvent entrapment from applying too heavy a coat in one go. You can usually tell by the size of the bubbles as trapped solvent will leave really tiny ones. Send me an email to: email@danleeboatbuilding.co.uk with some pictures if you can and I’ll take a look and should then be able to help you get it sorted 👍
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding Hi Dan, thanks for the reply. After watching again, I realised I had made some mistakes; solvent bubbles it was. Not enough thinners, I think, was the issue; I also missed the part of letting the varnish sit in the pot before use. I made those adjustments, which seems to have gone down lovely today.
Great! If you have any other issues feel free to drop me an email.
how do you clean the spray nozzle?
I empty the gun out, spray a few hundred ml of pure gun wash thinners through it, then strip the gun down and clean all the parts with brushes and thinners.
Two things: Generally the grade of sandpaper used is handy when offering advice and secondly, most profrssional finshers would never sand in the direction of their fingers. Nice result though.
150g sand for the epoxy, maybe 180g but no finer, 320g sand for the Epifanes PP. Bear in mind those grits are based on European sandpaper grit standards.
Epoxy is a product that becomes very hard. If the wood works, this can lead to cracks in the lacquer.
However, the layer thickness of the epoxy is very thin.
It would be interesting to know if you have long-term experience with the system.
Otherwise well explained and also filmed 👍
It is hard but actually more flexible than most people think. I am currently working on a video that will cover just the epoxy coating process and look into details such as this. I should be posting it in a few weeks time so keep your eyes peeled for that one 👍
I will for sure. many thanks for your response.
Seriously interesting , but a question . Do you thin the pp at all ?
I don't think i missed you mention it , but just want to be sure ! !
Yes I thin it 20% because I am spraying it. If applied with a brush or roller it doesn't need to be thinned.
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding Thank you .
I expected thinning for spraying , that's normal , but wasn't sure for rolling !
Can you do this process on teak flooring of a boat? The teak was recently cleaned, brightened and oiled. Do I need to remove the oil or sand it prior to applying anything to it? If anyone has any experience varnishing teak on a boat any advice is appreciated
My advice would be to stick with an oil type finish instead. It will wear far better than a high gloss finish, especially with teak, it is also much easier to touch up regularly. If you do want to use varnish then a breathable varnish such as Epifanes Woodfinish gloss would be my recommendation for teak.
Are any of these products appropriate for use on furniture? No need for UV protection, but durability and appearance are what I look for.
Absolutely! If there isn’t such a need for UV protection then you wouldn’t need quite as many coats but all the products are still suitable.
How long does the finish last? I used total boats gleam varnish on my teak and within 2 years it's peeled and burned off from the sun
That depends almost entirely on where it is kept and how exposed it is to direct sunlight.
Why didn’t you use a heat gun to reduce the resin bubbles during the exothermic reaction?
Hows this do in the tropics?
You’ll need a lot more clear coats over the epoxy for adequate UV protection and more regular maintenance coats as well.
have you ever wet sanded the coats?
Yes, I quite often wet sand before the final finish coat, 400g normally.
Hang on a sec... I have bought and used this stuff (the 'clear' 207 with UV filters) in the UK - and it is not clear. It was slighly yellow and darkened the wood colour significantly. When I looked into this apparently the UV chemicals in the US version aren't allowed in Europe and they had to use another one that meant it wasn't clear anymore.
Has this changed or are you using the US product?
Yes, this has recently changed as a new clear version has now been developed here in the UK, inline with the US product. Hardener tins will now either say “special coating” for the old version or “special clear” for the new one. I believe the yellow version is going to be discontinued.
The 207 is good, but cure time/drying time is double the 205..at least its not tinted like 205.
That’s a good thing in coating, it allows time for the release of micro-bubbles which it does very well. 205 is not ideal for clear coating but fine if you are painting.
Can you briefly address about dust control?
I can, I actually have a complete lesson dedicated to this in my varnishing course. The main key is to not overlook anything that can induce dust in the air, on the surface or in your tools. A couple of areas that are often not thought about:
On your person - wear clean clothes and not the set you've been doing the prep work in, cover up wherever possible, ideally in a Tyvek suit.
On your surface - be meticulous in cleaning it, vacuum, tack cloth, wipe down with thinners, tack cloth.
Think about your environment - are people going to be walking around on the floor above your workshop after you've applied? Even consider the lights in your workshop, flourescent lights are slightly static when turned on. They attract airbourne dust throughout the day, when you turn off the lights at the end of the day, that static charge subsides and it all rains down on your freshly varnished surface!
Those are just a couple of examples of the type of things to consider when wanting to control dust.
No diluent in the first coat???
I would with varnish but not with epoxy. Thinning with a solvent will reduce the strength and protective properties of the epoxy. I do often warm up the first coat of epoxy to thin it slightly.
You will get more life in the surface by using a brush made from the hair of a bull’s ear, when laying the last layer!
This varnish is quite nasty, I would recommend a full face mask or ideally, a mask with fresh air supply.
Yes I do need to get one really!
I believe this is misleading people without knowledge. The EP has no UV Filters, don't know about the Epifanes PP, but 3 coats of UV protection are by far not enough. Even if the PP has good UV filters there are 8 coats which is not enough even for north european climate for very long. The most important thing on having as many coats as can is not gloss but UV protection.
Also it's not mentioned that wood packed in EP is very sensitive to impacts and repairs are harder to do than with conventional 1K. On top wood with EP has no open surface for evaporation of humidity leading to the conclusion it needs to be coated entirely on all faces before it's mounted. Otherwise it will keep the humidity and begin to root.
So this method without the tremendous important hints will lead to lost boats quite often. The described way is fine but won't have a chance to spread around the world if the whole story is untold and people are left with very dangerous half knowledge.
You are incorrect, West System Special Clear Hardener does contain UV inhibitors. Also consider that this video is me sharing a method that is suitable for this application, based on how and where this boat is to be used and stored. I am not claiming this to be a "one fits all" process, THAT would be misleading.
I also openly admit that this is a quick run through the method and that I teach the subject in more detail within my course, that's the exact reason why I created a course on the subject. Trying to fit every factor that needs to be considered for every scenario into a sensible length RUclips video is simply not possible.
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding I have coated a boat with West and made bad experiences with the wax left on the surface. I cleaned it before sanding with soap water and still the varnish came off in spots. Never again West. Additionally it's far to expensive.
Regarding the situation you didn't mention that there's far more indepth knowledge needed to find the right method and there's been no disclaimer. You should mention these points to protect yourself against law cases.
Additionally I doubt seriously that the UV protection from West System is as good as the one from Epifanes classic varnish or the best test candidate from Wooden Boat long term test. Which was made by an company from NZ which was bought by Awlgrip.
@@andrebauer576 Your technique is is obviously flawed and you think your mistakes qualifies you to correct others who are using the proper products and techniques... maybe you should stop commenting on RUclips videos and learn more. If your varnish ended up flaking that means you did not adequately remove the amine blush and/or you did not key the surface of the cured epoxy adequately. Wooden yachts in my region (West Coast USA) often use this technique and the results are like liquid glass coating the timber. In fact, we don't always always use the WEST epoxy, we use an epoxy from AERO Marine that has NO UV inhibitors. The results have stood the test of time and elements over the last twelve years with zero splitting or yellowing in the varnish, but we also do annual refresh of the varnish which is typical (usually 2 rolled and tipped coats).
@@andrebauer576 Why don't you show that you're qualified? Besides, you started this accusatory mess. You are obviously not since you screwed up the job... you did something wrong but don't know what and don't want to admit your mistake. That doesn't qualify YOU to tell Dan that he is misleading people. An epoxy base is a common technique... I'm sorry you can't afford the WEST system 207 Special Clear hardener; Plenty of my customers can and insist on its use.
Epoxy is not UV resistant. I would never used it in this way. Only with overpaint it is enough protected from the sun. This is just my old oppinion, from the times when I was maintaining the boats, some 20 years ago.
Most epoxy isn't UV resistant but the special coating epoxy I am using here contains UV inhibitors and is designed specifically for this area of use in clear coating wood.
@@DanLeeBoatbuilding OK, very nice work and explanation. Congratulations.
Epoxy is not varnish.